EASTPOINTE, Mich. – The Eastpointe McDonald’s worker accused of killing her manager was also charged in connection with a stabbing in 2022.
Afeni Badu Muhammad, 27, of Eastpointe, has been charged with first-degree murder, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and being a habitual offender, second offense, in connection with the death of 39-year-old Jennifer Harris.
Harris worked as a manager at the McDonald’s at 17921 9 Mile Road in Eastpointe. She was killed on July 10 after being involved in an argument with Muhammad, according to police.
In this case, Muhammad was charged as a habitual offender due to another case that also involved a stabbing in 2022.
Court records show that on Jan. 11, 2022, an officer responded to a report of a stabbing in progress at an apartment building in Alexandria, Virginia, and found Muhammad at the scene.
The officer said that when he talked to Muhammad, she was crying and said, “I stabbed him. Is he OK?”
She was placed under arrest for felonious assault.
After that, Muhammad told the officer that she and her boyfriend got into an altercation after he learned that she was talking to a male friend that she’d just met about the issues they were having.
On March 14, 2022, a jury found that Muhammad “did unlawfully and feloniously stab, cut and wound” her then-boyfriend with “the intent to maim, disfigure, disable and kill.”
Muhammad pleaded guilty to the felony unlawful wounding charge on April 28, 2022.
As part of her guilty plea, Muhammad was given a suspended sentence of four years. That means she didn’t have to serve any time in prison, as long as she followed these conditions:
- Good behavior for four years after release from confinement
- One year of state-supervised probation, including substance abuse counseling and/or testing as prescribed by a probation officer
- Abiding by a protective order preventing contact with the victim
- Enrolling in and completing a batterer’s intervention program
- Payment of court costs
Now, a little over three years later, Muhammad is being held on a $25 million bond for stabbing her manager at McDonald’s to death.
The McDonald’s stabbing happened just before 8 a.m. on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
When officers arrived, they learned that Harris and Muhammad had gotten into an argument, which led to Harris sending her home early.
Muhammad told detectives that after being sent home, she drove to a park before she decided to go back to the Eastpointe McDonald’s and stab Harris with a knife that she had inside her car. The knife used was allegedly a kitchen knife longer than 3 inches.
When she returned to the McDonald’s, she went in through a back door with a “hooded mask over her face” in an attempt to conceal her identity, according to a swear-to from Eastpointe Detective Showers.
She is accused of stabbing her manager “as many as 15 times.”
“She produced a weapon that was a knife longer than 3 inches, and she stabbed the victim multiple times, up to possibly as many as 15 times, eventually causing her death,” assistant prosecutor Hengeveld said during Muhammad’s arraignment.
Read more: Prosecutor explains what happened during deadly stabbing inside Macomb County McDonald’s
A customer who was in the drive-thru line intervened and fired a shot to try to stop the attack.
The customer then held Muhammad at gunpoint until officers arrived, when she tried to flee. No one was struck by the bullet, according to police.
Muhammad later admitted to police that she had intended to kill her manager.
Just two days before the attack, Muhammad posted an Instagram rant about her job at McDonald’s.
Related: What Eastpointe McDonald’s worker said in Instagram rant 2 days before allegedly killing manager
On July 11, he was arraigned on the charges of first-degree murder, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and being a habitual offender, second offense.
The judge set Muhammad’s bond at $25 million, cash/surety only, with conditions: If she posts bond and is released:
- She must wear a steel cuff GPS tether
- She can’t leave the state of Michigan
- She must report a change of address within 24 hours
- She must have stringent daily contact with community corrections about her whereabouts
- She must undergo alcohol and drug testing
- She can’t have any contact with the family of the victim or witnesses
- She can’t return to the McDonald’s location
On July 23, Muhammad was in court for a probable cause conference, but that hearing was adjourned, and a competency evaluation was ordered.
Muhammad then appeared in court on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, for a review hearing.
Her attorney told the judge that Muhammad had been interviewed for a competency evaluation, but they are still waiting for a report to be produced. They said it could be 2-3 weeks before they get it.
A probable cause conference was scheduled for Oct. 8, and a preliminary examination was set for Oct. 15, but those dates could change depending on when they receive the report.