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Teen Behind 'Slender Man' Stabbing to Be Released From Psych Facility: “She Would Be Safer Outside”
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren appreciated Morgan Geyser's "good attitude" after three court-approved doctors submitted their findings.
One of the two Wisconsin 12-year-olds convicted in the brutal stabbing of a fellow classmate is about to walk away a free woman.
Morgan Geyser, now 22, appeared in a Waukesha County courtroom on Thursday, January 9, 2025, where Circuit County Judge Michael Bohren granted her supervised release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, according to ABC News. The decision came more than 10 years after Geyser and fellow sixth-grader Anissa Weier lured 12-year-old Payton Leutner into the woods and stabbed her 19 times, nearly killing the girl in the process.
Geyser and Weier claimed they committed the brutal act to curry favor with a fictional horror character found online known as “Slender Man,” which helped thrust the case into the national spotlight.
The judge’s ruling came after three doctors close to Geyser submitted their findings, per NBC News.
“There’s nothing to suggest that she is a danger to herself or others,” psychiatrist Dr. Kenneth Robbins said on Thursday. “I think there’s very little at this point that Winnebago (Mental Health Institute) can do for her, and that’s what they would say as well. I think it’s in her interest and in everybody’s interest to try to help her now become the person she can become."
Robbins said he feared Geyser’s continued stay in the mental health ward posed a threat of diminishing self-esteem and hope.
“So yes, perhaps ironically, I think she would be safer outside of Winnebago,” Robbins continued.
What did Morgan Geyser do?
On May 31, 2014, Geyser and Weier lured Leutner into the woods during a girls’ sleepover in Waukesha, Wisconsin, about 20 miles west of Milwaukee. Weier confessed to cheering Geyser on as Geyser inflicted wound after wound with a kitchen knife, one of which missed Leutner’s heart by less than a millimeter.
Leutner barely survived the attack after a bicyclist found her in and out of consciousness.
The pre-teen attackers were subsequently tried as adults.
Geyser pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted murder charges, and Weier pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder charges. But, as part of their plea deal, both were found not guilty by reason of mental disease and committed to psychiatric care.
Geyser was sentenced to 40 years, and Weier, 25 years.
Weier earned conditional release in July 2021.
RELATED: Idaho Teen Stabbed to Death by Classmates Living Out Their "Horror Movie Fantasy"
Why is Morgan Geyser being released?
Dr. Robbins told the court that even though Geyser was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the stabbing, she hadn’t exhibited symptoms in two years and had successfully been weaned from antipsychotic medications, according to ABC News. She did, however, live with conditions consistent with P.T.S.D. and autism.
Despite a 2021 suicide attempt while in treatment, psychologist Brooke Lundbohm agreed that she did not think Geyser posed a threat to herself or others. In fact, Lundbohm stated, Geyser was “well-spoken” and “incredibly bright.”
Robbins added that Geyser had “a lot of potential,” per ABC News.
A third expert, forensic phycologist Dr. Deborah Collins, called Geyser’s progress “remarkable,” NBC News reported. She noted a lack of disciplinary concerns and violence while in the facility as to why Geyser would “bode well” in society.
"Certainly for Ms. Geyser, the longer she’s there at this point, I think the more challenging it’s going to be to reintegrate,” Collins said.
Even Judge Bohren commended Geyser for her “good attitude” and exceptional compliance.
Geyser had been housed at the Winnebago facility since she was 15, according to The New York Times, and sought release on several occasions over the years, including in June 2022. However, she withdrew several of those bids and was denied release by Judge Bohren last year.
At Thursday’s hearing, prosecutor Ted Szczupakiewicz challenged Geyser’s prospect of freedom, as reported by ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN-TV.
"It's the state's position that this offense alone is enough to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that there's a substantial risk here to others and to herself," he said.
As part of her conditional release, Geyser will be required to wear an ankle monitor, per ABC News. Per the Milwaukee outlet, The Wisconsin Department of Health Services will have 60 days to iron out a complete release plan, which could comprise residency at a halfway house.
Geyser will remain under state mental health supervision until 2058, according to WISN-TV.
