Geyser’s conviction ends the Waukesha Slender Man case
The Slender Man stabbing case centered on Morgan Geyser (left) and Anissa Weier is closed. Geyser and Weir were 12 when they were charged as adults after nearly stabbing their classmate Peyton Leutner to death in May 2014.
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A Wisconsin woman who, at the age of 12, admitted to stabbing a classmate to appease a fictional horror movie character will remain in a mental hospital despite her lawyer’s plea for her release.
Morgan Geyser, who turns 22 next month, will remain at the mental institution where she has been committed since 2018 for treatment, a judge ruled Thursday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.
After a two-day hearing, Waukesha Circuit Court Judge Michael Boren denied Geyser’s request for parole, meaning she will remain under the care of the Winnebago Mental Health Institute.
In 2014, Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured Peyton Leutner into the woods and stabbed her 19 times with a 5-inch blade, leaving her for dead. Leutner crawled to a trail where she was found by a passing bicyclist.
Geyser was found not guilty by reason of mental defect in 2017 in the attempted murder of Leutner in the south end of Waukesha, a suburb of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.
The girls said they did the stabbing to appease “Slender Man” − as seen in the 2018 film, thus the case was referred to as the Slender Man case.
As of Friday, Geyser remained at the institute under a 40-year term of commitment ordered by Bohren six years ago.
Here’s the timeline of the case that caught the attention of the national media:
May 2014: Peyton Leutner is stabbed in the woods
After a sleepover on May 31, 2014, the girls lured Leutner into the woods and assaulted her. Geyser and Weir were found hours later by police on the side of the road and told investigators they were on their way to live with fictional internet character Slender Man. They were charged with attempted first-degree murder the next day.
August 2014
Judge Michael Boren found Geyser incompetent and stayed the prosecution of the charges against her.
December 2014
Boren decides that both girls can understand the charges against them and help in their own defense.
February 2015: The Kill or Be Killed Belief.
During the preliminary hearing, Geyser’s attorney told the judge that his client believed she had to kill or she herself would be killed by Slender Man.
Boren rejected the argument that the girls acted on a “kill or be killed” belief, which would have made the crime second-degree attempted murder and required the girls to be tried in juvenile court.
June 2015: Schizophrenia story revealed
Geyser’s family history of schizophrenia was revealed at the hearing, where an expert witness revealed that Geyser’s father suffered from a similar mental illness as a teenager and was hospitalized at least four times when he was 14 or 15 years old.
January 2016
A civil judge approved Geyser’s commitment to a state psychiatric hospital, where she received her first treatment for schizophrenia, including drugs that her lawyer said suppressed the voices of imaginary friends like Slender Man.
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July 2016: Billed as adults
Weier and Geyser were charged as adults, upholding a judge’s 2015 ruling that the two girls failed to prove “by a preponderance of the evidence” that they should be transferred from adult to juvenile court. Attorneys for the girls have repeatedly said their client’s cases should be heard in juvenile court.
August 2016
Geyser has pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness.
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September 2016
Weier pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
August 2017
Weier pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder and will proceed to trial only if her mental state at the time should make her legally responsible for the crime.
September 2017
Jurors found Weier not guilty by reason of mental disorder.
Geyser also pleaded guilty but will not face criminal charges and will remain in the state psychiatric hospital where she has been treated for nearly 18 months.
December 2017: Anissa Weier is convicted
At age 15, Weier was committed to 25 years in a mental health institution. She must spend at least three years in the institute before seeking release under community supervision. Her supervision will last until she is 37 years old.
February 2018: Morgan Geyser is convicted
Geyser committed to 40 years of mental health treatment and supervision and was ordered to remain in a mental health institution.
Boren ordered Weier’s maximum bond after hearing from experts who said Geyser, now 15, could receive more effective treatment for her schizophrenia elsewhere than where she is currently housed. adults who have committed crimes.
July 2021
Boren granted Weier parole after determining that she did not pose a risk to herself to the public.
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September 2021: Anissa Weier is released
Weier was released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute on Sept. 13 and will serve the remainder of her community commitment. She will be monitored with a GPS tracking device and monitored by case managers until she turns 37.
September 2023: Anissa Weier is released from a GPS monitor
Weier was subsequently released from electronic monitoring in 2023.
April 2024: Morgan Geyser is denied launch
Boren denied Geyser’s parole petition. She will remain for treatment at the clinic where she has been housed since 2018.
Contributed by Christopher Kuhagen
Natalie Neissa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her at X @nataliealund.
