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Agree With The Sentence? Teen In 'Slenderman' Stabbing Spared Jail, Sent To Mental Hospital For 40 Years
Morgan Geyser was 12 when she and a friend stabbed a classmate 19 times to please the "Slenderman" meme.
One of the two Wisconsin teens responsible for the “Slenderman” stabbing has been sentenced to 40 years in a mental hospital. On Thursday, Morgan Geyser, now 15, was spared jail time for stabbing a classmate with a friend in 2014. She had pleaded guilty in October to a charge of attempted first-degree murder. Now, she must remain in the mental health hospital for at least three years before asking to be discharged. If she ever is, she'll be under state supervision until she is nearly 40 years old.
During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Psychiatrist Kenneth Robbins testified that Geyser used to genuinely believe in Slenderman. He said she was depressed and psychotic. Now, he said he’s seen a transformation. He called her bright, insightful and said she has responded well to treatment. Robbins also called Geyser kind and remorseful.
Despite her progress, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren determined that she still needed treatment.
"We can't forget what we are dealing with. And we can't forget that this was an attempted murder," Bohren said, adding that the heinous stabbing was premeditated. According to the Associated Press, prosecutors wanted Geyser to spend the maximum of 40 years in a mental hospital.
According to CNN, Geyser apologized to the victim and her family in the courtroom.
"I never meant this to happen," she said while crying and clearly distraught. "I hope that she is doing well."
Geyser is the second teen sentenced in the case. Late last year, her friend Anissa Weier, now 16, was ordered to spend the next 25 years in a state mental hospital. Weier will have to spend at least three years inside Winnebago Mental Health Institute before there is any chance of her being discharged. After that, it is possible for her to be released into outpatient care.
In 2014, Weier and Morgan Geyser, both 12 at the time, lured their 12-year-old classmate Payton Leutner into the woods after a sleepover. Then, they stabbed her 19 times as a sacrifice to the fictitious character Slenderman. Leutner survived the attack.
The case, because of its bizarre nature, has attracted international attention.
[Photo: NBC News]
