Wisconsin 'Slender Man' assailant to be released from mental health facility

Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A Wisconsin woman who stabbed a classmate in the 2014 "Slender Man" case will be released from a mental health facility, a court ruled Thursday.

Morgan Geyser, now 22, was 12 and one of two girls who lured a school classmate into the woods and stabbed her 19 times as part of a plot to please a fictional online supernatural character called Slender Man, according to authorities.

Geyser and Anissa Weier stabbed their friend Payton Leutner multiple times, nearly killing her. Despite sustaining life-threatening injuries, Leutner survived. Geyser and Weier were charged in adult court with first-degree attempted intentional homicide.

Geyser was sentenced to 40 years in a mental health facility and had been living there since the stabbing. Weier was released from a mental health facility in 2021.

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren ordered the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to draw up a plan for Geyser's supervised release within 60 days.

She will be sent to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute until the plan is finalized, after which she is expected to live in a supervised group home.

During the legal proceedings that followed the 2014 stabbing, Geyser was diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia and pleaded not guilty to the crime by reason of mental defect or disease. Weier also pleaded not guilty, using the same defense.

Psychologists in the Waukesha courtroom Thursday testified in favor of Geyser's supervised release.

"At this point I am in favor, or in support, of her petition for release. Specifically, I don't think she currently poses a significant risk of substantial harm to herself, others or to property damage," psychologist Brooke Lundbohm told Bohren over Zoom.

Lundbohm testified that Geyser's mental health had improved since a suicide attempt in 2021.

She can be "incredibly self-critical" and have "low self-esteem," but is "well-spoken" and "incredibly bright," Lundbohm continued.

Leutner's family told ABC News prior to the Thursday court hearing that they were confident the Wisconsin legal system would make a choice that would protect their daughter.

"Morgan Geyser has withdrawn her request to be released twice. More recently, her request was denied," the family's statement read. "We are confident that the judicial system will make a decision that will ensure the community, and my daughter remain safe."

Geyser was most recently denied supervised release in April of 2024.