A 22-year-old woman who stabbed a classmate a decade ago believing it would appease the fictional character Slender Man is to be released from a Wisconsin psychiatric hospital. Waukesha county circuit Judge Scott Wagner approved the conditional release of Morgan Geyser from the Winnebago mental health institute on Thursday.
In 2014, Geyser and Anissa Weier, then aged 12, lured their friend Payton Leutner into a wooded park near Waukesha, Wisconsin. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times, nearly killing her, while Weier encouraged her. The girls told police they committed the crime to please Slender Man, a character from an internet meme.
Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in 2017 but was found not responsible due to mental illness. She was committed to a psychiatric hospital for 40 years. Weier was granted release in 2021 after a 25-year commitment.
Earlier this year, a judge ruled Geyser could be released after experts testified she posed no future risk. However, concerns arose when it emerged the proposed group home was near the victim's residence, and Geyser had not disclosed reading a novel about murder or communicating with a collector of murder memorabilia. Despite these concerns, the judge approved the release plan, which has not been made public.
Geyser's attorney argued his client needed to be involved in the community and move on with her life. The state's prosecutor described the undisclosed activities as red flags, but the court proceeded with the conditional release.
