Twisted Turn in McDonald's Murder Case

I'm telling you, she's a bully. This. isn't funny. She needs to understand. that just because she's a mother and got. children doesn't mean that she can come. in in this store, you know, disrespecting people, talking to them. like everybody's beneath her. Somebody. going to have to do something about. that. She could keep being a bully if. she want to, but that is going to catch. up to her. >> A McDonald's worker apparently goes on. an angry Instagram rant, calling her. manager a bully. And just two days. later, that manager is dead. stabbed. nearly 15 times in what prosecutors are. calling a premeditated attack. Now, the.

woman behind that viral video, Afainy. Muhammad, she's back in court as. disturbing social media posts come to. light and serious questions are raised. about her mental state. We are going to. break it all down right now. Welcome to. Sidebar, presented by Law and Crime. I'm. Jesse Weber. I got sent home early yesterday. I got. sent home early today by the same. person. I'm telling you, she's a bully. This isn't funny. She needs to. understand that just because she's a.

mother and got children doesn't mean. that she can come in in this store, you. know, disrespecting people, talking to. them like everybody's beneath her. She. has no respect. And it isn't funny at all. She's a. bully. I'm telling you, she's a bully. But to get sent home two days in a row, man, and I came in on my off day to make. up my time, and she still sends me home. early, it's not funny. Somebody going to. have to do something about that. It's. not funny. It's not fair. It isn't funny. at all. So, you know, she could keep.

being a bully if she want to, but that. is going to catch up to her. >> That woman, Aeny Muhammad, was back in. court on July 23rd for what was supposed. to be a probable cause conference. And. when asked to state her name for the. record, she apparently introduced. herself with a different declaration. Your honor, Josh on behalf of Mr. [Music]. But I also go by reason. >> Now, the 26-year-old appeared before a.

judge in Michigan's Mcome County for a. probable cause hearing in connection. with the fatal stabbing of her manager, 39-year-old Jennifer Harris. And this. was at the McDonald's on 9mm Road in. East Point. And as police confirmed, Risen Phoenix is Muhammad's Instagram. handle. the same account where she. posted two videos days before the. killing venting about Harris sending her. home early. And we're going to play more. of that in a minute. But first, here's. what we learned from the court. So, probable cause hearings in Michigan is.

usually where bail, a plea negotiation, stipulations, other procedural aspects. Those are all discussed. It's not. exactly what happened here. The hearing. ultimately ended up being adjourned. after Muhammad's defense attorney. requested a competency evaluation citing. concerns about her mental state and this. was based both on police reports and his. own interactions with her. >> You're asking that this matter be. adjourned for discovery number one and. number two. You want it referred to the. forensic center for competency and. culpability. Is that correct?

>> Yes, your honor. Council does request at. this time that Mama be referred to the. center. doesn't matter. It's my understanding. that Muhammed herself personally objects. to the referral at this. [Music]. >> what is the um factual basis that you. rely on for the referral based on my. observations of the case um and um. reviewing the case um specifically the. police reports um my observations and.

interacting um with Muhammad I need to. check those two boxes. meaning I need to make sure that one she. is confident and then two that there's. not an issue in regards to. responsibility or culability. >> now here's something interesting. Muhammad the defendant reportedly. objected to this referral but the judge. approved it nonetheless so now she's. going to undergo a mental health. evaluation which our understanding can. typically take four to 6 weeks no. further court action is going to proceed.

until that report is returned. Lot to. talk about. I want to bring on forensic. psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Bober to discuss. this. Dr., thanks so much for coming. back here on Sidebar. Appreciate it. >> Thanks for having me, Jesse. >> What are the specific indicators that a. forensic psychiatrist would look for to. determine whether a defendant, a. criminal defendant like like a Feny. Muhammad, whether or not she's competent. to stand trial because competency is a. very specific definition. It's not. insanity.

Right. So competency is a moving target. You know, someone can be competent one. week and they can be incompetent the. next week. So in the United States, competency is determined by a US Supreme. Court case, USV. Dusky. And essentially. what that case says is that you have to. have the ability to work with your. attorney to collaborate with them and. have a rational and factual. understanding of the charges against. you. So that is the competency standard. in the US. Hey, real quick. I want to. thank ODO for sponsoring this episode of.

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process to the next level. And get a. free 15-day trial today at. odo.com/sidebar. manufacturing. But generally speaking, is it I have no idea what I'm doing. here. I have no idea what these charges. mean. I have no idea what I did wrong. Is that typically what you see in an. evaluation that raises a concern of. competency? >> As a general principle, yes, absolutely. >> And what what could be the reasons for a. lack of competency? So, there are so many different reasons.

Uh, I watched the Instagram video that. she had posted prior to the incident and. you clearly have someone who has poor. impulse control, is emotionally. disregulated, has escalating anger, repeated frustration, feels powerless. over her situation, and, you know, feels. like she's being subjected to this. perceived injustice. There are so many. different things here in the. differential and obviously I've never. examined her so I can't make a diagnosis. but I think about things like psychosis, a personality disorder, substance use.

perhaps repeated exposure to trauma and. I believe there was a prior incident of. a stabbing that she was associated with. I don't know that for certain but so we. have someone who where there was a. history of violence prior to the. incident. How common is it for defense. attorneys to request these competency. evaluations based on their own. observations? It'd be one thing if there. was a police report, right, or um you. know, from another mental health. professional, but based on their own. observations. Is that unusual to you?

>> No, it's not. Uh the court can request. it, the defense attorney can request it. Um it it is interesting that she didn't. want the evaluation. I almost feel like, you know, she doesn't want to be. perceived as mentally ill or crazy, but. there were a lot of very concerning. things that happened prior to this and. it seems like it was something that was. building over time. >> The fact that she reportedly objected to. it, like you said, doesn't really factor. into the process. I mean, does it. suggest anything diagnostically?

>> Not necessarily. Not one thing or the. other. Uh, but again, the fact that her. attorney requested it to me leads me to. believe that her attorney was seeing. something that was concerning that. required a further assessment. Can someone, let's be clear about this, someone can still be found to be. competent to stand trial, but they can. still raise a mental health defense, right? They can still uh maybe put. forward an insanity defense if the. jurisdiction allows that and it affects. their culpability in some way, right?

That this doesn't preclude that. two. separate things. Yes, someone can still. raise an insanity defense. That's. completely separate. Now, in this. particular case, you know, someone can. be mentally ill and still be competent. So, mental illness per se does not mean. incompetent. It's a specific evaluation. >> The fact that she wanted to be referred. to this by this other name, you know, we. can get into the idea of multiple names, multiple identities. Did that suggest. anything to you? >> I think about delusions. I think about. psychosis when I hear something like.

that. But again, there's just so much. information that we would need. For. example, was she treated for a prior. mental health condition? Was she under. the care of a psychiatrist? These are. things I'd want to know. Talk to people. that were around her in the hours and. days prior to the incident. Those are. all important things. And moreover, as. we talk about what this case might look. like, and we don't really know if a. mental health defense would be uh. presented or not, but from a forensic. psychiatrist point of view, how do they.

distinguish between anger or a. personality disorder or a break from. reality? Uh is it a mixture of a bunch. of different factors? What should we be. looking out for? >> So, those are not necessarily mutually. exclusive. For example, someone can have. a psychiatric disorder. They can also. have a personality disorder. They can. have both. But a personality disorder is. usually a pervasive pattern of behavior. that affects them in multiple domains of. functioning. And they can also have an. organic psychiatric condition like. psychosis where they're literally.

detached from reality and they're having. paranoia, they're having hallucinations, they're having delusions. So you can. have all of those things together. Uh, but they obviously require um you to. sort of parse things apart to to figure. out what is causing what. >> Let me go back to Muhammad's Instagram. and the declaration that she made there. So on her account, official Risen. Phoenix where she has more than 24,000. followers. Muhammad posted two videos.

just days before the stabbing ranting. about her manager Jennifer Harris. sending her home early. And in one of. the clips, wearing her McDonald's hat, Muhammad seasthes with frustration. >> I got sent home early yesterday. I got. sent home early today by the same. person. I'm telling you, she's a bully. This isn't funny. She needs to. understand that just because she's a. mother and got children doesn't mean. that she can come in in this store, you. know, disrespecting people, talking to. them like everybody's beneath her. She. has no respect.

And it isn't funny at all. She she. brings a lot of negative energy in. there. She always panic when when. there's a lot going on and then she. tried to manipulate that and make it. seem like we ain't doing something. right, but we are working really hard. and doing great. It's just the fact that. she panic and I caught her a few times. making a mistake and she tried to hurry. up and play it off. You know, nobody's. perfect. It's happens. You know what I. mean? Like sometimes like somebody might. get confused. So it gets busy. Yeah. But. she need to stop playing like she like. she don't be making mistakes. I be. catching her. I be catching her. And.

then she delivers what now could. arguably sound like an ominous warning. >> But to get sent home two days in a row, man, and I came in on my off day to make. up my time and she still sends me home. early. It's not funny. Somebody going to. have to do something about that. It's. not funny. It's not fair. It isn't funny. at all. So, you know, she could keep. banning bully if she wants to, but that. is going to catch up to her cuz it ain't. funny at all. It ain't. Two days later,

prosecutors say that's exactly what. happened. Now, if you haven't been. following the case, here's what police. say went down. Jennifer Harris, longtime. McDonald's employee, mother of six, reportedly sent Muhammad home early on. July 10th following a workplace dispute. Okay, before leaving, Muhammad allegedly. told Harris she'd be back and she wasn't. bluffing, at least according to police. Because according to them, Muhammad. drove to a nearby park, retrieved a. knife from her car, returned to the. restaurant wearing a hooded mask to. conceal her identity. She allegedly.

entered through the back, ambushed. Harris, and stabbed her up to 15 times. in front of co-workers. You have a. legally armed customer in the drive-thru. who heard the commotion, fired a warning. shot into the air, caused Muhammad to. allegedly drop the knife, and flee. The. witness apparently chases her down, holds her at gunpoint until police. arrived. In fact, here's how East Point. police described it on Facebook. The. employee returned a short time later. armed with a knife. The employee. proceeded to stab the victim whom she. had the prior dispute with. A customer.

who witnessed the assault fired a shot. to stop the attack. No one was struck by. the bullet. The suspect attempted to. flee the scene, but was detained by the. witness. East Point officers arrived a. short time later and took the suspect. into custody. The victim was rushed to a. local hospital where she passed away. from her wounds. So, Muhammad now faces. charges of first-degree murder, carrying. a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. Dr. Bober, from your perspective, what. could be the tone and the content of. those Instagram posts? What does that.

reveal potentially about her mental. state leading up to the days of this. attack, assuming she did it, right? Because she is innocent until proven. guilty, >> right? So, it was really an angry rant. where she was venting out all her. frustrations about the way she was. treated. And if you listen to the. Instagram post, she says basically, and. I'm paraphrasing, that someone is going. to do something about this. So, there. really was a leadup to this, if in fact. she did it. And it does seem. premeditated. We know that she went to.

the park, she returned to the McDonald's. to stab her manager if again it. occurred, and she was wearing a mask. So. there does seem to be premeditation. There does seem to be acts at concealing. the crime. Um so all these things would. be important to know. >> Concealing the allegedly concealing her. identity. Does that doesn't that defeat. a potential insanity defense because she. know the argument would be she knows. what she's doing is illegal. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. Definitely works.

against that. Um, it definitely shows. that she targeted her manager, that she. planned it, that she tried to conceal. her identity. All this plays into it. >> Again, taking all of this is true. If. someone feels disrespected or someone. feels they're bullied, what does that. trigger exactly? Does it trigger an. anger anger response? Does it trigger, again, if we're talking about mental. health, a delusion, paranoia, those. alleged slights? How does that factor. into the analysis? >> So, listen, it really depends. You know,

we as human beings in society, we. probably get treated poorly at times and. we feel slighted. But, you know, if we. have ego strength and we have. self-esteem and we are able to. emotionally regulate ourselves, then we. just move on. But for people who are. suffering from mental illness, who have. a low frustration tolerance, who have. paranoia, who see the world through a. distorted lens, who feel humiliated, those are people that may act out with. rage or aggression.

>> In the 15 times, what does that tell. you? >> That tells me that it was very, very. uplose and personal, that she was filled. with rage, that it just boiled over and. it just exploded, and that she was. completely unable to exercise restraint. at that point. >> You go to Muhammad's arraignment July. 11th. So her defense team argued for. Bond, revealing that she had this. history of trauma and abuse. >> She was in extremely abusive uh. relationship that was not only mental. but physical uh that involved alcohol.

issues, which is where the habitual. second stems from and her prior record. >> But prosecutors, they quickly pushed. back and they dropped a major revelation. that Muhammad had a previous stabbing. conviction. And then finally, the. defendant does have a prior instance of. at least one that I'm aware that. involved a stabbing uh similar obviously. to the stabbing that occurred in this. case involving a knife. Um so given all. of those factors uh and given the fact.

that this court does have authority to. uh give no bot to defendants charged. with murder, I am asking at this time. for no bond in this case. Yeah, it turns. out according to the Mcome County. assistant prosecutor that in March of. 2022, Muhammad had plead guilty in. Virginia to unlawful wounding without. malicious intent. She was sentenced to 4. years, but the sentence was suspended. and she served only probation. Now, the. judge in the current case ultimately did. grant her bond tune of $25 million along. with a long list of strict conditions. should she be released. Those include.

wearing a steel cut GPS tether, remaining in Michigan, reporting any. address changes within 24 hours, submitting to daily check-ins with. community corrections, undergoing. alcohol and drug testing, having no. contact with Jennifer Harris's family or. any witnesses, and staying away from the. crime scene, the McDonald's location. where all this occurred. And according. to inmate records, it appears she is. still behind bars at the Mcome County. Jail. Dr. Bober, let me turn to you on. this. So, how does a history or an. apparent history of trauma and abuse,

both mental and physical, if we're. listening to what the defense had to. say, how does that typically impact an. individual's mental health or behavior? So, when we talk about previous trauma, we're talking about the part of the. brain called the amygdala. The amydala. is the part of the brain that is. responsible for a fear and aggression. response. And people who have trauma, sometimes this area of the brain can be. overactive and it responds in a very. primal way. So people who have a trauma.

history who are exposed or triggered to. certain situations may act in a way that. is irrational because of that prior. trauma. The trauma affects them and sets. them up for this in the future. So that. is something to consider in her. diagnosis uh and in looking at how she's. charged with the crime. And I got to. say, I'm amazed by this Virginia. conviction, right? We could talk legally. about why she was out, how she was out, what the rules are there, but the point. is from a a forensic psych psychiatric. perspective, you know, how might.

Muhammad's prior stabbing conviction, uh, which is just so eerily similar to. what she's accused of now. Um, how does. that factor into the analysis? Because. you're talking about an alleged repeat. offender. Well, it certainly increases her risk. for future violence having a prior. incident and now this incident. But it. begs the question, was there some. underlying condition that was untreated? Uh did she never receive the services. that it seems like she needed to treat.

this condition? So there needs to be a. firm diagnosis. There needs to be. treatment and all this plays into it. along with the competency evaluation. >> Dr. Dr. Bober, I want to explore some. other psychological aspects of this case. because we did a deep dive into Aaney. Muhammad's Instagram and Tik Tok. accounts and we came across some very. deeply disturbing and unsettling. content. For example, in one Tik Tok. video, Muhammad is seen holding two.

boxes of Play-Doh doing absolutely. nothing except staring at them in. complete silence for a full minute. There's no explanation. There's no. context. just blank staring. But it gets. even stranger. So in this clip, she's. seen brandishing a knife, then kissing. it. And this was also posted before the. killing, by the way. And then just one. day before the killing, she posted this. to Instagram. And the video shows a. birthday cake with the word abracadabra.

written in icing. And then it cuts to. Muhammad wearing a ski mask style. hoodie. Strange, Dr. Bober, to say the. least. But from your analysis, and by. the way, would this factor into any. analysis by a mental health professional. during the course of this case? And how. would it? >> So, not necessarily for competency, but. maybe for an insanity defense because. again, a competency evaluation is not. static. She may be competent right now. She may not be competent 3 days from. now. But for example, someone who has a.

history of psychosis or departure from. reality or who is delusional, this may. have impacted her during the crime. itself. And that's why uh an evaluation. for sanity would have to be done or or. criminal responsibility. Now, the other. way of looking at it is, you know, a. defense attorney could probably say, "Hey, listen, she's creative. She's an. artist, right? She this has no relation. to the actual crime, but it's very hard. to separate. It's very hard to separate. what she's accused of from these uh.

these posts. You have to ask warning. sign red flag. I mean, I don't know. Assuming she did this, >> it's one piece of information that has. to be taken uh with everything else. >> And again, what what more if you had the. opportunity to speak with her, what. would you like to know? >> Oh, I would have so many questions. I. would want to know again about prior. mental health history. I'd want to know. if she used his I would want to know if. she used substances. I would want to. know about her trauma history. I'd want.

to know about similar incidents. These. are all things I'd want to know. I'd. want to talk to the people that she. lives with, the people that she's. friends with. Obviously, it would be. helpful to have access to her social. media. Uh, and obviously any forms of. electronic communication. >> By the way, how can you make sure that. she's telling the truth? How can you. make sure that when during an an. evaluation, a mental health evaluation. of some kind during the course of a. legal case that that that the subject is. being transparent with you about their.

past, about their motivations? If she's. asked about why did she make these. videos, how can you determine whether or. not that subject is being credible? >> So, you look for corroborating. information. You look for collateral. sources of information. And if all you. have is the subject, then you would. state in your report that all. information was provided solely by her. and there were no other sources of. information. So obviously that is going. to maybe cast doubt on the veracity of. the information, but you would state it.

in the report, but you do everything you. can to try to speak to collaterals to. try to look at other sources of. information besides the subject. >> Now, let me just go back to Jennifer. Harris here, the victim in this case. So, her death has left her six children. without a mother. We can't forget that. A GoFundMe, the Jennifer Harris Legacy. Fund, has been set up to support her. children. And we're going to put it up. there if you want to check it out, participate, donate of some kind. But. that GoFundMe reads, "Through this fund, Jennifer's legacy of strength, compassion, and dedication will continue.

to guide and uplift her children. Resources from the trust will be used to. support their educational journeys from. early learning through higher education. as well as their overall well-being and. personal development as they grow into. adulthood. The Jennifer Harris Legacy. Fund is a reflection of her lifelong. commitment to family opportunity and the. belief in a bright future. It ensures. that her children are surrounded by the. care, guidance, and support they need to. thrive and that her spirit will continue. to shape their lives for years to come. So, with Muhammad's mental evaluation. pending, the next hearing is set for.

September 3rd. Dr. Daniel Bober, thank. you so much for taking the time. It was. good seeing you. >> My pleasure, Jesse. >> And that's all we have for you right now. here on Sidebar. Everybody, thank you so. much for joining us. And as always, please subscribe on YouTube, Apple. Podcast, Spotify, wherever you should. get your podcast. I'm Jesse Weber. I'll. speak to you next time. [Music].