At 12 years old, Morgan Geyser set out to appease the fictional horror character “Slender Man.” She and a friend, Anissa Weier, conspired to stab a classmate, Payton Leutner, who barely survived the incident. Their defense attorneys argued the girls believed they needed to attack Leutner to prevent the fictional boogeyman, Slender Man, from coming after their families. Weir was sent to a mental health hospital for close to four years before she was released in the fall of 2021. However, Geyser has been in a psychiatric hospital ever since. After seven years, she is ready to move to a group home, and her behavior will continue to be monitored.
‘Slender Man’ Attempted Murder
The tragic incident that soon became known as the ‘Slender Man’ stabbing occurred in May 2014. Geyser and Weier invited their classmate, Leutner, to a sleepover. The next day, they lured her to a Waukesha park in Wisconsin. Geyser managed to stab Leutner 19 times, and all Weier did was egg her on. Thankfully, Leutner survived, but barely. She managed to crawl to a main road after the girls left her for dead and found a bicyclist to help her. All the girls were only 12 years old at the time of the attempted murder.
Geyser and Weier were found strolling along Interstate 94 in Waukesha. When they were picked up, they told investigators they were trying to become Slender Man’s servants and feared if they did not follow through, then their families would be in grave danger. They added they were on their way to Slender Man’s mansion after the stabbing was done.
Since June 2022, Geyser has petitioned Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren, who is responsible for her sentencing, four times to be released. He denied her second request just this past April, claiming she was still a threat to the public. Her latest petition was filed in October, and after a day-long hearing this past Thursday, Bohren found that she maxed out on her treatment options at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. He granted her release under the condition that she be placed in a group home and supervised.
Expert Testimony
Three medical experts testified at her release hearing, convincing the judge that she had made remarkable progress and no longer posed a threat. Dr. Kenneth Robbins, who provides psychiatric treatment to Geyser, said, “There’s nothing to suggest that she is a danger to herself or others. And I think there’s very little at this point that Winnebago (Mental Health Institute) can do for her, and that’s what they would say as well. I think it’s in her interest and in everybody’s interest to try to help her now become the person she can become.”
Dr. Robbins continued, “I think that there is the risk that over time if she is limited by the things that Winnebago can offer her, I could imagine her becoming hopeless at some point and potentially becoming a danger to herself. So yes, perhaps ironically, I think she would be safer outside of Winnebago.” Deborah Collins, a forensic psychologist, conferred with Robbins, claiming that it would only set her back if she is not released from the hospital. Psychologist Brooke Lundbohm shared a similar opinion, adding Geyser responded well to being taken off of antipsychotic medications.
Final Thoughts
In 2018, ‘Slender Man’ stabber Morgan Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide. She was sent to Winnebago Mental Health Institute due to her mental illness. Anissa Weier also pleaded guilty but to attempted second-degree intentional homicide. She was sent to the same psychiatric center and sentenced to 25 years there in 2017. However, she was released into her father’s custody in 2021 at 19 years old. Conditions of her release included continued mental health treatment and 24/7 GPS monitoring.
The ‘Slender Man’ stabbing was brutal, everyone would agree. It is horrific to think that children could commit such heinous crimes. However, people do grow and learn more about life. Judge Michael Bohren believes he made the right decision, stating, “She’s done what she’s supposed to do.” He continued, “She appears to have a good attitude.” For the sake of others around Geyser, let us hope everything she did during her treatment was not just to get released from the institute.
