'Slender Man' stabber to be released as state warns of 'red flags'
The Wisconsin woman who attempted to kill her 12-year-old classmate to appease the fictional character "Slender Man" will be released despite the state’s claims there are still "red flags" concerning her behavior.
A judge has ruled Morgan Geyser, 22, can continue with her planned conditional release from a Wisconsin mental health institute, rejecting a last-minute petition from the State Department of Health Services asking for her to remain in custody.
The decision comes after failed attempts by Geyser's defense team to have her released.
Officials asked Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren to reverse his initial decision after he ordered Geyser’s release in January, citing Geyser’s relationship with a murder memorabilia collector and her interest in violent books.
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In 2017, Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the violent stabbing of Payton Leutner but claimed she was not responsible due to her mental illness. She told investigators she tried to kill Leutner to please the horror character Slender Man and was ultimately found not guilty by reason of mental defect.
Geyser’s defense team and the state’s prosecuting attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"Being found to be mentally ill as the cause of the crime has a pretty high standard," Dr. Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, told Fox News Digital. "The standard is an identifiable illness that impacts your ability to understand that what you're doing is wrong and that you have the capacity to understand that. That's true regardless of age. So, it is quite a high standard."
Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, were 12 when they lured Leutner into a wooded park during a sleepover in May 2014. Geyser, encouraged by Weier, stabbed Leutner 19 times.
Leutner miraculously survived the attack.
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Geyser has been in custody at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute for the last seven years. She was initially sentenced to 40 years in the psychiatric hospital and was permitted to ask the court to consider her conditional release every six months.
The Wisconsin State Department of Health Services did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Health officials asked Bohren to reconsider, citing Geyser’s relationship with a man who collects murder memorabilia. Prosecutors also said Geyser failed to inform her therapy team about a violent book she was reading.
Geyser’s defense attorney, Tony Cotton, refuted the claims, telling the court the center's staff members were aware the collector had visited Geyser three times in June 2023 and that she only read books that were permitted by her care team. Cotton added that after Geyser discovered the man was selling items she sent him, she broke things off.
"Morgan is not more dangerous today," Cotton said.
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Bohren also listened to testimony from three psychologists who initially recommended Geyser be released during her hearing in January.
While Geyser’s apparent interest in violent topics concerns prosecutors, experts say some individuals may gravitate toward materials that offer a controlled way to indulge in their morbid curiosity.
"This is a gray zone in the sense that many people read violent material as a way of partaking and thinking about that sort of fantasy material," Saltz said. "Horror movies exist because many humans have sadistic and masochistic urges that are satisfied by reading about or watching material of this sort."
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However, agency officials argued Geyser remains a danger to the community, citing the book "Rent Boy," which features topics such as murder and selling organs on the black market.
Prosecutors told Bohren they believed it was concerning that Geyser reportedly only disclosed the information when confronted by her care team.
"The state has real concerns these things are, frankly, just red flags at this point," Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie said during a hearing last month.
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While morbid curiosities may be normal for some, experts believe those with violent pasts could be influenced by materials about their crimes.
"Thought does not equal behavior," Saltz said. "That being said, [with] somebody who has committed the behavior, we do worry that ultimately that will increase their urge to do something that they truly [want] to do and lead to a behavior that is considered a problem."
Despite the state’s pleas to keep Geyser institutionalized, Bohren determined she was no longer a danger to society. Her next court appearance is scheduled for April 28, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
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"There are many people who commit horrible assaults with the intent to kill and serve their time and the evaluation is that they acknowledge their crime, which [Geyser] clearly has," Saltz told Fox News Digital. "They fall under all the ingredients that have to do with rehabilitation, who don't even have a finding that mental illness was a factor and were then released into society. So, I’m saying this isn't a totally unique situation."
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Weier also pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 25 years in a mental hospital. In 2021, she was released on the condition she must live with her father and wear a GPS monitor.
Attorneys for Weier did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
"You have to think about the victim in this case too," Saltz said. "The attack was unbelievably traumatic. But, at the end of the day, it's highly unusual to essentially lock up a 12-year-old for life."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.