Girl who stabbed her friend 19 times for Slenderman sentenced to 40 years in mental institution

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Girl who stabbed her friend 19 times for Slenderman sentenced to 40 years in mental institution

Morgan Geyser stabbed her friend ‘for Slenderman’

One of the teens who tried to stab her friend to death because of Slenderman has been sentenced to 40 years in a mental institution.

Morgan Geyser, then 12, led her classmate Payton Leutner into woods outside Milwaukee with her accomplice, Anissa Weier. They held Payton down and stabbed her 19 times in the arms, legs and torso, using a kitchen knife.

Morgan said she tried to kill her friend for Slenderman, the creepy fictional character, telling cops: "It was necessary."

Morgan Geyser in court today

In court today, Morgan's head was bowed while her sentence was read out. She had spent periods of the hearing staring into the middle distance, her mouth open.

Choking back tears, Morgan told the court: "I just want to let Payton and her family know I’m sorry. I never meant this to happen. I hope that she’s doing well."

Her lawyer patted her on the shoulder before she was led a

  • Morgan and Anissa lured their friend Payton into the woods with the intention of killing her. They told cops how Slenderman told them to murder their friend or he would hurt them or their families.

    While they first planned to kill Payton at a sleepover on May 31st, 2014, then in a park bathroom, they settled on carrying out the attack after a game of hide-and-seek in a forest near their homes.

    Morgan and Anissa pinned Payton down and began to stab her, one after the other. In a police interrogation, Morgan told cops: "It didn't feel like anything. It was like air."

    "It was weird that I didn't feel remorse," she added.

    Morgan in an earlier court appearance

    Then they left her in the woods and said they were going to get help. "But we really weren't," Anissa later said. "We were going to run and let her pass away."

    Payton survived the attack, and was rescued by a passing cyclist. Law enforcement officials said her stab wounds were just one millimeter away from striking vital organs, which saved her from "certain death."

    A depiction of Slenderman

    Morgan's defense have told the court that she experiences hallucinations, delusions and paranoia from schizophrenia and psychotic spectrum disorder. Today Judge Michael Bohren reminded the court Morgan had been experiencing hallucinations since around three or four years old.

    Psychiatrists have also spoken about how Morgan believed she had psychic abilities, like being able to speak to Slenderman telepathically.

    Last year, Morgan and Anissa pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide to avoid a prison sentence.

    Judge Michael Bohren told the hearing today while the defendants were only 12 years old when the crime took place, "We can’t forget what actually occurred. It was a murder case planned over a period of months, it was a premeditated murder."

    He told the court: "She poses a significant harm to herself and other persons."

    Morgan will be 55 before she gets out. Anissa was sentenced in December to 25 years in a state mental institution, meaning she will be around 37 when she is released.

    @hshukman