Have you heard about the Slenderman folktale? Well this fictional character was first created on social media in 2009 by forum user Eric Knudsen. This character is described as a thin, unnaturally tall white human form without any facial features that is often spotted in the forest at night or abandoned places where he is spotted wearing a suit and tie. Many stories of Slender Man oftentime feature the behaviors in a pattern of stalking, abducting, or traumatizing people, in particular, children. 

However, imagine “pleasing” this monster by conspiring to take away the life of your fellow classmate. Unfortunately this is what happened in Waukesha, Wisconsin on Wednesday, May 31, 2014 to 12 year old Payton Leutner. Leutner was lured out by her friends Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser who claimed they were heading to the forest to play a fun game of hide and seek. 

However, once they arrived at the forest, in a combined effort, Weier and Geyser pinned down Leutner and stabbed her a total of 19 times throughout her arms, legs, and torso with a five-inch-long blade. Within this attack two of the wounds were to major organs, one stab wound missed a major artery by less than a millimeter and another went through her diaphragm, cutting into both her liver and stomach. 

As the two perpetrators finished their attack they ordered Leutner to lie there and wait for them to return with help, which they did not. After realizing her abandonment Leutner dragged herself to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist who called emergency services. She was directed to a nearby hospital where Surgeons fought to keep her alive in a six hour operation to repair the critical trauma to organs as well as the tissue in her torso and abdomen. After the surgery she spent a total of 10 days hospitalized. Once Leutner was released she was followed up with about eight medical appointments within a singular week for many of her recovery months. 

However, in regards to the culprits, about five hours after the attack they were captured by police near Steinhafels’ Furniture Store on Interstate 94, approximately 4.9 miles away from the location of the attack. They were found in possession of the weapon used for the attempted murder and claimed they were traveling to meet Slender Man at his home, called the “Slender Mansion,” in the Nicolet National Forest, about 200 miles away from the initial crime scene. During the investigation and interrogations, Geyser was described as displaying no sympathy and Weier was described as displaying guilt for stabbing Leutner, although they both ultimately agreed and stated that the attack was necessary to appease Slender Man. 

Throughout sentencing, both culprits were eligible for psychiatric evaluations, where Geyser was diagnosed with early-onset childhood schizophrenia. However, during the trial Geyser was charged with attempted first-degree homicide, and Weier was charged with attempted second-degree homicide. Due to the nature of the offenses, both convicts were tried as adults. 

In 2017 Weier was sentenced to 25 years to life, an indeterminate sentence requiring at least three years confinement and involuntary treatment in a state forensic psychiatric institute, followed by communal supervision until the age of 37. Geyser, on the other hand, was given the maximum sentence, 40 years to life, an indeterminate sentence requiring at least three years confinement in addition to involuntary treatment in a state forensic psychiatric institute until complete resolution of symptoms or until age 53, whichever may happen first. If released, she would essentially remain under communal supervision and undergo periodic reevaluations intended to identify any needs for reinstitution and/or further treatment as required by the sentence imposed.

However, last week on January 10, 2025 Geyser, who is now 22 years old, filed her latest petition in October and Judge Bohren decided to grant her release after a day-long hearing on Thursday, discovering that she had maximized her treatment options at the facility and is no longer a safety risk. He ordered the state Department of Health Services to set up a plan to house her in a group home and supervise her for his consideration at a hearing within 60 days.

The judge said that her crime was a “brutal, terrible offense” but Geyser has since grown up and to be truly rehabilitated she must exist as part of society. So far there have been no updates to Weier’s sentencing. However, over the years, we have heard from a representative for the Leutner family that Leutner excelled academically, participated in school music programs and volunteered at an animal shelter as she had before Weier and Geyser’s attack. She and her family each sought counseling to cope with the trauma of the stabbing and now claims that she is somewhat grateful for what had happened to her. In an interview in October 2019 Leitner stated “I really, really like it and I have a plan. I didn’t have a plan when I was 12, and now, I do because of everything that I went through. I wouldn’t think that someone who went through what I did would ever say that, but that’s truly how I feel. Without the whole situation, I wouldn’t be who I am.”