Legal Plea for Mental Health Facility Over Jail Time

A lawyer representing a woman recently sought after her conviction in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing case is urging the court to send her back to a mental health facility instead of incarceration. Morgan Geyser, now 23, is currently detained in Waukesha County Jail after being extradited from Illinois last week.

Geyser was arrested in Posen, Illinois, following her escape from a group home in Madison last month. Her legal team contends that a mental health facility would be a more appropriate environment for her care, rather than a prison cell. Attorney Anthony Cotton mentioned in a letter to Judge K. Scott Wagner that Geyser, facing no new criminal charges, was previously acquitted due to mental illness.

Experts have expressed concerns about Geyser’s release, suggesting her escape indicates she was not prepared for that level of freedom. Geyser was reported missing along with an individual named Chad Mecca on the night of November 22, leading to their eventual discovery at a truck stop in Illinois the following day.

Geyser will remain in custody until December 22, when officials from the Wisconsin Department of Health are set to discuss her conditional release. After spending nearly eight years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, she transitioned to a group home in September, having received conditional release in January.

There’s some uncertainty about whether Geyser will face additional charges stemming from her escape. Reports previously indicated that felony charges may be on the table, particularly concerning the removal of her electronic monitoring device.

In a chilling incident from 2014, Geyser and her then-friend, Anissa Weier, attacked their classmate, Peyton Leutner, in an attempt to please the fictional character, Slender Man. At that time, all three girls were just 12 years old, and Geyser was responsible for stabbing Leutner numerous times, leaving her critically injured.

Geyser and Weier eventually confessed to authorities that they believed they had to carry out the violent act to protect their families from potential repercussions from Slender Man. In 2017, they were both found guilty by reason of mental defect, with Geyser receiving a 40-year sentence and Weier 25 years.

The response from Geyser’s attorney regarding this ongoing situation has yet to be disclosed.