A Wisconsin court has ordered Morgan Geyser, one of the two girls convicted for the infamous 2014 Slender Man stabbing, to be sent back to a mental health institution. This decision comes after authorities thwarted her recent attempt to escape from the facility where she was receiving treatment.
The Failed Escape Bid and Court Order
The Waukesha County Circuit Court, presided over by Judge Michael Bohren, issued the order following an incident where Geyser tried to flee. According to court records, the attempt was quickly stopped by staff at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Judge Bohren ruled that Geyser, now 21, must remain committed to a secure mental health facility for continued treatment.
This ruling underscores the court's ongoing concern for public safety and Geyser's need for psychiatric care. The legal proceedings reaffirm her status as not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect for her role in the near-fatal attack nine years ago.
Revisiting the 2014 Slender Man Attack
The case dates back to 2014, when Morgan Geyser and her then-friend Anissa Weier, both aged 12 at the time, lured their classmate Payton Leutner into a wooded park in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Driven by a shared obsession with the fictional online horror character Slender Man, they stabbed Leutner 19 times and left her for dead. Miraculously, the victim managed to crawl to a path where a cyclist found her, saving her life.
Both attackers were charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Their defense centered on their belief that Slender Man was real and that they had to kill someone to become his "proxies" and protect their families. In 2017, Geyser pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of attempted second-degree intentional homicide but was found not guilty by reason of mental illness.
Legal Journey and Current Status
Morgan Geyser has been under institutional care since her conviction. Her commitment is subject to annual review by the court. The recent escape attempt has significantly influenced the latest review, leading to the decision to continue her confinement in a high-security treatment setting.
Her co-defendant, Anissa Weier, was released from a mental health institution in 2021 under strict conditions after a similar plea and finding. The contrasting outcomes highlight the individualized nature of mental health evaluations and legal judgments in such complex cases.
The Slender Man case sparked a global conversation about the influence of online horror folklore on young minds, adolescent mental health, and the boundaries of the criminal justice system when dealing with severely mentally ill juveniles. The victim, Payton Leutner, has physically recovered from her injuries.
The court's latest order ensures that Morgan Geyser will remain in a structured, secure environment where she can receive the intensive psychiatric treatment deemed necessary, while also safeguarding the community.
