A Massachusetts woman, currently without a home, has been charged in the stabbing of another woman in a Macy’s restroom in New York City. She reportedly has a history of mental illness, had been released from a psychiatric facility just hours before the incident, and claimed she was driven by voices in her head that threatened she must “kill someone” or face being killed herself.

The accused, 43-year-old Kerri Aherne, attacked a woman from California by stabbing her in the back while she was tending to her baby in the bathroom of the well-known Macy’s Herald Square on Thursday.

The victim, identified only by her role with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was quickly taken to Bellevue Hospital. Thankfully, she was released from medical care the following day.

Aherne now faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, two counts of assault, possession of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities have described the attack as unprovoked, and she is currently being held without bail.

In connection with the Macy’s stabbing incident, Kerri Aherne has been charged with attempted murder, two counts of assault, possession of a weapon, and endangering the welfare of a child. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

Court records show Aherne, whose last known address was in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, has a long history of struggling with mental illness.

Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Aherne told police she had been discharged from Manhattan Psychiatric Center the morning of Thursday’s stabbing after a yearlong stay.

She also allegedly said she purchased a knife at Macy’s and looked for someone to kill because “voices in her head told her she had to kill someone, or she would be killed.”

In 2019, records show she was deemed an incapacitated person, and her mother and sister were appointed as her guardians, according to the New York Post.

Aherne was placed on a court-ordered treatment plan to ensure she continues taking Prolixin, an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia, the records show.

Kerri Aherne has a long history of struggling with mental illness, according to authorities. (Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)

Her Facebook has been inactive since 2018. In one of her last posts, she wrote, “Going a little insane,” along with a still from a Michael Jackson video.

Aherne was arraigned on Friday, when her attorney told the court he plans to request bail at a future hearing.

When the judge said she would be held without bail until her next court appearance, Aherne interrupted and begged not to be sent to another mental health facility, the New York Post reported.

Kerri Aherne said she purchased a knife and looked for someone to kill because “voices in her head told her she had to kill someone, or she would be killed.” (Kylie Cooper/Reuters)

“I don’t want to go to another hospital,” Aherne said. “They didn’t help me at Manhattan Psychiatric Center.”

She is due back in court on Dec. 17.