MACOMB COUNTY, Mich. – The worker accused of killing her manager at a McDonald’s in Eastpointe has been bound over to a higher court and could face trial.
Afeni Badu Muhammad, 27, of Eastpointe, who was charged in connection with the death of 39-year-old Jennifer Harris, appeared in court on Nov. 14 for a preliminary hearing.
At a preliminary hearing, evidence is presented, and a district court judge will determine whether there’s enough evidence to bind the defendant over to circuit court for trial or to dismiss the charges.
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.
Prosecutors said that, based on the medical examiner’s autopsy, Harris had at least 13 stab wounds.
Prosecutors also claimed the only reason she stopped allegedly stabbing Harris, even after the manager collapsed to the ground, was a bystander firing a shot.
Four witnesses and two police officers took the stand in the preliminary hearing on Friday and described their encounter with the attack.
The judge reviewed the evidence presented by prosecutors on Nov. 14 and found that there was enough evidence for Muhammad to face trial.
Here is a summary of the statements witnesses gave in the preliminary hearing on Friday:
Truck driver waiting for food describes scene
The first witness, a truck driver who was sitting at the drive-thru at the time of the attack on July 10, testified that he saw a fight happen inside the McDonald’s.
He said he was sitting in his truck at the serving window, waiting for his food, when he saw a person wearing a mask inside the McDonald’s
He said he jumped out of his truck to try to de-escalate the situation as he initially thought the employees were being robbed.
The truck driver fired a shot through the McDonald’s window, not striking anyone, leading to the masked suspect running away.
He then chased after the person, who had their hoodie zipped over their head. He said as she was running, the zipper came down, revealing her face.
The truck driver, wielding his gun, said he caught up to her in the parking lot, where she pleaded to him not to shoot her, saying, “I have a little brother to live for.”
He also noted she kept telling him, “They kept bullying me,” while she was crying and sitting on the ground.
When police arrived, he holstered his gun and told officers what he witnessed.
Officer describes scene during arrest
An officer from the Eastpointe Police Department said he responded to the scene of the stabbing on July 10.
He said he received a report of the stabbing, and when he arrived, employees waved him down, directing him to the truck driver, pointing at Muhammad.
The officer’s bodycam video was displayed in court, showing the interview with the truck driver and a responding officer. The video also shows the officer handcuffing Muhammad, who appeared to be covered in blood.
He said he went inside the McDonald’s and saw Harris on the ground in a pool of blood. Another officer was rendering aid to Harris, applying pressure to her neck wound. Harris was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Delivery driver encountered Muhammad just before stabbing
A delivery driver testified that he was delivering food and supplies to the McDonald’s with his coworker.
He said the Eastpointe McDonald’s location is part of his routine route, and he has delivered to that restaurant every Thursday for the past six months.
He testified he was unloading the supplies behind the McDonald’s the morning of the stabbing when he encountered an employee entering through the back.
He described the person wearing a hooded sweatshirt with a zip-up and an old hockey mask.
He said the person walked by him, said, “Hi, I work here,” while walking through the back of the restaurant.
He recalled that, within seconds, he heard employees inside the McDonald’s yell, “She’s stabbing her,” repeatedly.
He said he peeked inside to see what was going on, but did not see anything from where he was standing. He then heard a gunshot, leading him and his coworker to run to the delivery truck.
The delivery driver said he did not know who was wearing the mask, but he saw a woman in the same clothes when she was being arrested in the parking lot.
McDonald’s manager heard Harris, Muhammad arguing before stabbing
A woman who had been a manager at the McDonald’s for at least five years recalled Harris and Muhammad arguing before the attack.
She said she had suffered a stroke earlier this year, and she had just returned to work the week of the stabbing.
She recalled that Muhammad was sent home the day prior to the stabbing and the day of the stabbing because she failed to do her job.
“I’m not punching out, I’m staying here,” she recalled Muhammad saying.
The manager said she didn’t really know Muhammad well and was not sure how long she had worked there. However, she knew Harris as she was her boss.
Harris was the general manager of the Eastopointe McDonald’s location and oversaw this witness’ duties.
She said Harris clocked Muhammad out the morning of the stabbing, and she said this made Muhammad very angry.
She also said Muhammad was sent home by Harris the day prior because she was not working at the window properly.
The manager recalled that she was rolling burritos that morning when someone in a “Jason” mask ran by. She said she didn’t think anything of it, but then heard a commotion.
She remembered seeing a hand waving in the air with the knife. When she ran over, she saw Harris lying in a pool of blood. This witness said she grabbed a few towels and did everything she could to help Harris.
The witness described the weapon as an all-white knife with a blade that’s “four to six” inches long.
She spoke to police outside of the McDonald’s when officers arrived and gave them a statement.
She testified that Harris had told her Muhammad was two hours late to work on the morning of the stabbing and overheard her being told to leave.
According to her, Muhammad didn’t work a shift and was told to go home after coming in late.
She said she did not see who was in the mask during the attack.
‘You better watch your back’: Witness describes encounter
A former McDonald’s employee testified she was working at the Eastpointe McDonald’s when the attack happened. It was her second week working there.
She said she knew Muhammad as “Phoenix,” and only knew Muhammad by that name.
She recalled seeing an interaction between Harris and Muhammad. She described the conversation as quick, and Muhammad appeared irritated.
“So you clocked me out without telling me,” the witness remembered Muhammad telling Harris.
This witness recalled Muhammad saying, “You reap what you sow. I’ll be back. You better watch your back,” before leaving the restaurant.
She heard Muhammad was told to leave for the day because she was not doing her job properly.
The witness said she was working the cash register when she heard someone talking. She turned around and saw Muhammad.
She said Muhammad was wearing her work uniform but also a zip-up hoodie. She knew it was her because she said she noticed her nails. She testified that the nails resembled McFlurry cups with the red and yellow McDonald’s logo on them.
She recalled that she had complimented Muhammad’s nails before she left the morning of the attack.
When the knife was raised, she said the person holding the knife had the same unique nails as Muhammad’s.
She also testified she overheard another employee say, “Phoenix, stop,” during the stabbing.
The witnesses panicked, saying, “she’s stabbing her,” repeatedly and called 911 before leaving the restaurant.
This witness testified she didn’t really know Muhammad’s “government name,” but later stated she saw her real name pop up when they clocked in for work.
‘I feel better’: What detective said Muhammad told them after stabbing
A detective with the Eastpointe Police Department testified he and his partner interviewed Muhammad in the police station’s interview room hours after the attack.
Muhammad had to change clothes -- they had to be collected for evidence since they were covered in blood, according to the detective. She also had blood on her hands, so he said he collected samples of the blood for evidence.
A video recording of Muhammad’s interview with detectives at the police station was displayed in court, showing the detectives reading her rights. She appeared to be verbally accepting her rights and initialled on paper.
In the video, Muhammad told the detectives that she had stabbed Harris, even demonstrating to the detectives how she allegedly stabbed her.
The video showed Muhammad standing up with the detective, reenacting the movements she allegedly made with the knife while pretending the detective was Harris.
The detectives asked how Muhammad felt after allegedly stabbing her. In the video, she appeared to have replied, “I feel better.”
The defense did not cross-examine the detective.