Wisconsin Woman Set for Release After Attempted Murder Case Linked to Slender Man
A Wisconsin woman is poised for release from a mental health facility more than ten years after she nearly fatally stabbed a classmate as part of an attempt to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man, a decision made by a judge on Thursday.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner approved the conditions for Morgan Geyser’s release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where the 22-year-old has been a patient for the past seven years.
Earlier this year, another court ruling indicated her potential for release after three mental health experts affirmed she has shown substantial improvement in managing her mental health issues.
In April, prosecutors expressed opposition to Geyser’s initial release plan after the victim Payton Leutner’s mother raised concerns regarding Geyser’s group home being only eight miles from Leutner’s residence. Subsequently, the judge instructed the Department of Health Services to formulate a revised plan, which received approval on Thursday.
The specifics of Geyser’s release plan and the timeline have not been disclosed publicly, and her attorney did not immediately respond to inquiries for further information.
In 2014, Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured Leutner to a park in Waukesha after a sleepover, where Geyser proceeded to stab her 19 times while Weier encouraged the act. At the time, all three girls were just 12 years old.
Following the assault, Geyser and Weier attempted to flee but were apprehended while walking along Interstate 94. They indicated to investigators that the attack was intended to prove their loyalty to Slender Man and that they feared repercussions against their families should they fail to comply.
The girls reportedly intended to seek out Slender Man’s alleged mansion in northern Wisconsin after the incident.
Leutner was fortunate to survive the brutal attack. In 2017, Geyser pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted first-degree intentional homicide while asserting that her mental illness affected her accountability. The following year, she was committed for 40 years to a psychiatric facility by Judge Michael Bohren.
In March, health officials contended that Geyser could not be trusted after discovering she had not disclosed to her therapists that she had read a novel involving murder and illegal organ sales. They also claimed she had been in communication with a man who collects murder memorabilia, sending him a sketch of a decapitated body along with a postcard expressing a desire for physical intimacy.
However, Geyser’s attorney argued that she was only engaging with literature and correspondence permitted by the facility, asserting that staff was aware of her communication with the memorabilia collector. It was noted that she ceased contact with the collector in 2024 upon learning he was profiting from items she sent him. Judge Bohren concluded that Geyser had not been attempting to conceal anything and mandated ongoing development of a release plan.
Judge Wagner took over the handling of Geyser’s release request following Judge Bohren’s retirement in April.
Anissa Weier accepted a guilty plea for being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon in 2017, also citing mental illness as a defense. She was consequently committed to a mental health facility for 25 years but was released in 2021 under conditions that included living with her father and wearing a GPS monitor.
This case has captured significant media attention, partly due to the girls’ obsession with the Slender Man character. Created online by Eric Knudson in 2009, Slender Man is typically depicted as a tall, thin figure in a black suit with a featureless white visage, having evolved into a popular figure in various forms of media, including video games, stories, and a 2018 film.
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