A judge recently denied the petition for conditional release for Morgan Geyser, one of the two young women convicted in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing of a classmate in Wisconsin. Geyser, now 21, was found not guilty by reason of mental disease and was initially sentenced to a maximum of 40 years of state mental health supervision. Despite the ruling, Geyser’s defense attorney mentioned that she would try again in six months. Geyser had previously asked to be released but withdrew the petition in 2023 and 2022. Her attorneys are now seeking to have her moved to a group home, which the director of the facility she is currently in agrees with, stating that the transition to the community is crucial for her ongoing development.
Medical experts testified that Geyser had not been violent towards anyone else since the stabbing incident and has been off anti-psychotic medication since December 2022, with no reported issues. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. However, there was also testimony about Geyser claiming she faked her mental illness and alleging she was sexually abused as a child. Prosecutors and the victim’s family vehemently opposed Geyser’s release, citing concerns for public safety if she were to leave the 24/7 care she is currently receiving. Ultimately, Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren sided with the prosecution, stating that the scales tipped in favor of the public safety by clear and convincing evidence.
Geyser and Anissa Weier, both 12 years old at the time, stabbed another girl, Payton Leutner, to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man in 2014. Prosecutors claimed Geyser and Weier lured Leutner to a wooded area in Waukesha after a sleepover, where Geyser stabbed Leutner multiple times as Weier encouraged her. Both girls stated they believed they had to kill Leutner to become Slender Man’s “proxies” and protect their families from him. Leutner managed to crawl out of the woods and was found by a passing bicyclist, surviving the attack. Weier, also committed for the attack, was granted conditional release in September 2021, subject to outpatient psychiatric treatment and GPS monitoring.
The Slender Man phenomenon began with an online post in 2009, depicting a mysterious figure in a black suit with a featureless white face. Believers saw him as either a sinister entity or an avenging angel. The girls’ actions were reportedly an attempt to please this fictional character, leading to a real-life tragedy that shocked the community. Geyser has been in the mental health facility for nearly a decade, and while there have been signs of improvement in her mental health, the judge ruled against her conditional release based on concerns about her credibility and the potential danger to the public if she were to leave her current care. Despite the denial, Geyser’s attorneys plan to continue pursuing her release in the future, advocating for her transition to a group home for further development.
In light of the recent ruling and ongoing legal battles, the Slender Man case serves as a chilling reminder of the dangerous consequences of blurring the lines between reality and fiction, particularly for vulnerable individuals like Geyser and Weier. The tragic events that unfolded in 2014 continue to raise questions about mental health, accountability, and the impact of popular culture on impressionable minds. As the legal proceedings unfold, the victim’s family, prosecutors, and the community at large continue to grapple with the aftermath of a crime that shocked the nation and shed light on the complex intersection of mental illness, childhood innocence, and the dark allure of online folklore. The story of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked obsessions and the devastating consequences that can result from a belief in the blurred line between reality and fiction.
