Slender Man Stabbing Jury Determines Wisconsin Girl Mentally Ill

Anissa Weier, one of two Wisconsin girls who admitted to participating in the stabbing of their classmate in order to impress the creepy fictional character Slender Man, was found mentally ill at the time of the attack and will avoid jail time.

The world took notice of Slender Man in 2014, when two pre-teen girls — Weier and Morgan Geyser — lured their classmate Payton Leutner into the woods in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier encouraged her, prosecutors said. The victim barely survived and managed to crawl onto a bike path, where she was discovered by a passing cyclist.

The jury verdict came Friday after a week of testimony and 11 hours of deliberation.

Also Read: 'Beware the Slenderman': 5 Things to Know About Internet's Creepiest Creation (Video)

“I’m very thankful to the jurors for taking the time to look at what was really going on with her,” Weier’s attorney, Maura McMahon, told reporters.

Weier and Morgan, both just 12 at the time, told detectives they were compelled to kill Leutner to become Slender Man’s servants and to protect their families from him. The mysterious fictitious creature, who began circulating online years ago, is a tall, thin apparition with ghost-white skin and no face who is said to abduct and kill children.

Weier pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide in August, but claimed she was mentally ill during the attack and not responsible for her actions. The plea deal with the prosecutors called for her to be sent to a mental facility for at least three years if judged mentally ill by the court. If she had not been judged mentally ill at the time of the stabbing, she would have served 10 years in prison.

Geyser pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Her trial is set for Oct. 9.

From Slenderman to Jeffrey Dahmer: 9 Notorious Wisconsin Violent Crimes (Photos)

Slenderman Stabbing

In May 2014, two 12-year-old Waukesha girls lured a classmate into the woods near their homes and stabbed her 19 times. The victim survived and was found by a passing cyclist. The perpetrators claimed they tried to kill the girl to impress Slenderman.
HBO
Jeffrey Dahmer Murders

Between 1978 and 1991, Milwaukee resident Jeffrey Dahmer is believed to have killed 17 young men. He kept body parts of his victims in his apartment and told police he had drilled holes into his victims head and poured acid into their brains in an attempt to create a subservient sex slave
WI Dept. of Corrections
Ed Gein Murders

Plainsfield resident Ed Gein was convicted of murdering two women as well as stealing womens' bodies from nearly a dozen fresh graves. Police found items in his home fashioned out of human bones and human skin upon his arrest. His crimes served as the inspiration for "Psycho" and "Silence of the Lambs."
AP
Teresa Halbach's Murder

In October 2005, photographer Teresa Halbach disappeared after visiting the home of Steven Avery. Avery, who had been released from prison after being falsely convicted of rape just two years prior, was tried and convicted of her murder along with his nephew, Brendan Dassey. The case became the subject of the Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer."

Also Read: ‘Making a Murderer': What’s Changed for Steven Avery, Brendan Dassey Since Series Debut 1 Year Ago (Photos)
Netflix
Oak Creek Sikh Temple Shooting

On Aug. 5, 2012, a man entered a Sikh temple in Oak Creek and opened fire, killing six worshipers and wounding four others. The gunman later killed himself before police could take him alive.
Getty Images
Chai Vang Shooting

On Nov. 21, 2004, a man living in Minnesota named Chai Vang was hunting in northern Wisconsin. He was approached by a group of men who told him he was hunting on private land. Exactly what happened next is unclear -- but in the end, Vang shot eight of the men, six of whom died.
WI Dept. of Corrections
Walter E. Ellis Murders

Walter E. Ellis was convicted in 2011 for a series of seven rapes and murders in the notorious Milwaukee North Side Strangler case.
WI Dept. of Corrections
Terry Ratzmann Shooting

In March 2005, Terry Ratzmann entered his church, the Living Church of God, with a handgun. He fired 22 rounds in total, killing seven people. Ratzmann was later found dead in a hotel room from a self-inflicted gunshot.
CBS News
Tyler Peterson Shooting

In October 2007, 20-year-old sheriff's deputy Tyler Peterson entered an apartment where a homecoming party was taking place and opened fire, killing six people. He then killed himself.

Crandon High School

1 of 9

Before you watch “Beware the Slenderman” on HBO, check out these other blood-chilling crimes from the Badger State

Slenderman Stabbing

In May 2014, two 12-year-old Waukesha girls lured a classmate into the woods near their homes and stabbed her 19 times. The victim survived and was found by a passing cyclist. The perpetrators claimed they tried to kill the girl to impress Slenderman.

View In Gallery