One of two Wisconsin preteens convicted of attempted murder of a friend in the so-called “Slender Man” stabbing nearly a decade ago is seeking release from a psychiatric hospital. .
Morgan Geyser, now 21, has applied for conditional release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. FOX6 News reported.
She was found not guilty by reason of mental illness in 2018 of brutally stabbing her friend Peyton Leutner and was originally sentenced to up to 40 years in an institution, the newspaper said.
She withdrew an earlier petition seeking early release in 2022 and 2023.
The judge now has 30 days to appoint a doctor to evaluate Geyser before the matter goes to court.
According to FOX6, Anissa Weir, who also served time at Winnebago in 2017 for her role in the attack, was granted conditional release in September 2021.
She was required to undergo outpatient psychiatric treatment and was subject to GPS monitoring, the latter of which was waived in September 2023.
Prosecutors said Geyser and Weier lured Lerner to the Waukesha woods after a sleepover in May 2014.
Geyser then stabbed Leutner repeatedly as Weier watched.
Leutner survived the attack by pulling himself out of the woods and alerting his cyclist.
The two attackers were later spotted walking together on the interstate.
When interviewed by police, Geyser and Weier claimed they attacked their friend to appease the fictional Slender Man. First developed in an online forum, Slender Man is a tall, slim, faceless creature said to lurk in the woods and traumatize children. According to Newsweek magazine.
Both Mr. Weier and Mr. Geyser reportedly discovered the Slender Man folklore on the website Creepypasta.
The Waukesha incident was the most notorious in a series of violent incidents in which young offenders claimed to have been inspired by the online boogeyman. For example, in August 2014, ABC News reported that a 14-year-old girl in Florida set her family's home on fire after reading about Slender Man.
