"Voices In My Head Told Me To Kill": US Woman Accused Of Stabbing Makes Shocking Jailhouse Confession

A homeless woman accused of stabbing a California mother claimed she was driven by voices in her head instructing her to carry out the attack. Kerri Aherne, who is currently being held at the Rose M. Singer Centre on Rikers Island on an attempted murder charge, still had traces of blood under her fingernails during a Saturday visit. She recounted the incident in disturbing detail to New York Post, saying that she felt compelled to go to Macy's and harm someone, believing it was a command from the voices she was hearing.

The 43-year-old former home health aide from Massachusetts said she took a green cab from her transitional housing at the Manhattan Psychiatric Centre to Macy's. According to her, she used part of the $150 given to her by a social worker to purchase a smooth, foot-long kitchen knife on the department store's 8th floor. She claimed she had spent just one day at the housing unit before deciding to leave. After buying the knife, Aherne said she made her way to the 7th floor of the store.

"The voice said, 'Kill someone in the bathroom or you will die," she said.

Aherne then walked into the bathroom and saw a woman changing a baby before attacking her from behind with the knife. The victim began screaming and calling for help, pleading for someone to dial 911. Bystanders in the bathroom rushed to assist the injured woman.

Aherne asked the police officer where she was being taken, and was told she was going to jail. "I was relieved. I don't want to go back to the hospital. I'm scared of the hospital," she said.

She has reportedly experienced auditory hallucinations since the age of six. In addition to attempted murder, she now faces charges of assault, child endangerment, and weapons possession.

"I am being tortured by the government. They put words into my head. They told me that I had to kill or they would kill me," she added. 

Authorities said the baby was unharmed, and the mother managed to fend off the attacker until help arrived. Aherne had reportedly been released from a psychiatric facility shortly before the incident. Court records also reveal that Aherne was arrested in Massachusetts in 2018 for making online threats, including posts about harming Senator Elizabeth Warren and plans to obtain a gun to target a police station. She said police later searched her home but did not find any weapons.

Aherne also expressed regret to the victim, asking about her well-being and her baby. However, she deflected responsibility for the attack, suggesting that the blame lay with the government rather than herself.

She was reportedly hospitalised in Massachusetts for two years, an experience she described as deeply traumatic. Following her release, Aherne left the state, believing men were plotting to kill her. She took an Uber to New York City, paying $530 for the ride, which she says she kept hidden from her family. How she ended up at the Manhattan Psychiatric Center remains unclear.

According to Aherne, doctors later diagnosed her with schizoaffective disorder, a condition that combines symptoms of schizophrenia and a mood disorder. Despite the diagnosis, she claimed she doesn't believe she actually has the illness. She said she is currently prescribed four medications, including antipsychotics and Prozac, taken twice daily, with one administered via injection.

She said she was released from the Manhattan facility on December 11 and received her medication that morning. However, she claimed she didn't get any further doses after returning to transitional housing that night or the following day.

Aherne also alleged that the government uses a buried device in Russia to send voices into her head, which she believes are threatening her life and urging her to harm others. She expressed a desire to remain in New York, saying she hopes to do so once the voices go away.