The "Slender Man" case gained notoriety in 2014 when two young teen girls lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, into the Wisconsin woods and stabbed her nineteen times. After several years of court proceedings, the case's final defendant was sentenced on Thursday to spend the next forty years in a mental institution.
A creepy case is finally closed.
Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser believed they had to kill Payton Leutner, also 12, to win the approval of Slender Ma… https://t.co/f0Vqv9g57Q— Refinery29 UK (@Refinery29 UK)1513956601.0
The two teens claim they believed that they had no choice.
The Slender Man case surrounded an eerie internet character, "Slender Man," who Weier and Geyser claim convinced them to stab their classmate in order to protect their families from meeting his ill-will. Geyser, now 15, is said to have stabbed Leutner a total of nineteen times, nearly ending her life. Leutner was able to escape the Milwaukee woods by crawling to safety and seeking the help of a bicyclist who was passing by.Geyser's psychiatric state plays a role in her final fate.
A 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 40 years in a mental hospital for her role in a 2014 stabbing that was pro… https://t.co/egRJbKOwDj— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeed News)1517525160.0
Geyser's defense claims she is no longer a threat to society.
A summary of what happened in the #Slenderman Morgan Geyser sentencing: - 40 years commitment - No medicine order -… https://t.co/QD4UB0j2GX— NowThis Newsroom (@NowThis Newsroom)1517525192.0
Weier will also spend decades institutionalized.
Court back in session for #Slenderman stabber Morgan Geyser. Though she was determined not guilty of attempted ho… https://t.co/8DSEwSwVFJ— Nick Bohr (@Nick Bohr)1517513904.0
The Associated Press reported that Weier, the first perpetrator sentenced in the case, plead guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide. Yet the teen, now 16, claims that she suffers from mental illness and cannot be fully held accountable for her crimes.
Agreeing with the diagnosis, the judge sentenced Weier to the maximum possible punishment under the law, which is 25 years in a psychiatric institution. Weier will be 37 years old when she completes her sentence.
The prosecutors were not so convinced.
Morgan Geyser cries quietly and puts her head on the table as judge places her under state mental health supervisio… https://t.co/pobdrxCWrZ— Nick Bohr (@Nick Bohr)1517521475.0
Geyser offers an apology to her victim in court.
Psychologist testifies #Slenderman stabber Morgan Geyser scored a 142 on an IQ test. Says she’s extremely bright, b… https://t.co/WQG4KEJkDg— Nick Bohr (@Nick Bohr)1517515546.0
I want everybody involved to know I deeply regret everything that happened that day. I know that nothing I say is going to make this right and nothing I say is going to fix what I broke.
Payton Leutner may have survived but she is forever traumatized.
We are waiting to hear from the victim's family. Stay tuned for their thoughts on the 40-year maximum sentence. Thi… https://t.co/FQYs9x0UkD— Lindsey Branwall (@Lindsey Branwall)1517525082.0
Ultimately judge agrees with maximum sentence for Geyser.
Psychologist: #Slenderman stabber Morgan Geyser still hears voices from a character she calls “Maggie.” Geyser’s a… https://t.co/pFO1OzvI8Y— Nick Bohr (@Nick Bohr)1517501097.0
The gavel has swung, but Geyser will seek early release.
Morgan Geyser’s attorney says “She can petition to get out (of mental institution) every six months and I presume w… https://t.co/wOFuk884yh— Nick Bohr (@Nick Bohr)1517522119.0