On May 31, 2014, in
Waukesha,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, United States, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, lured their friend Payton Leutner into a forest and stabbed her 19 times in an attempt to appease the fictional character
Slender Man
Slender Man (also spelled Slenderman) is a fictional supernatural character that originated as a creepypasta Internet meme created by Something Awful forum user Eric Knudsen (also known as "Victor Surge") in 2009. He is depicted as a thin, unna ...
. Leutner crawled to a road where she was found, and recovered after six days in the hospital. Weier and Geyser were found
not guilty by
mental disease or defect and committed to mental health institutions for sentences of 25 years to
life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
and 40 years to life, respectively. After seven years, Weier was granted early release and will be under supervision until age 37.
Slender Man
Slender Man is a fictional entity created on the
Something Awful
''Something Awful'' (SA) is an American comedy website hosting content including blog entries, Internet forum, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard Kyanka, Richard "Lowtax" K ...
online forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporar ...
s for a 2009
Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows and macOS. It was originally created in 1988 by Thomas and John Knoll. Since then, the software has become the industry standard not only in raster ...
paranormal image contest. The Slender Man myths were later expanded by a number of other people, who created
fan fiction
Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settin ...
and artistic depictions of the entity.
Slender Man is a tall, thin character, with a featureless white face and head. He is depicted as wearing a black suit, and is sometimes shown with
tentacle
In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...
s growing out of his back. According to the Slender Man myths, the entity can cause
amnesia
Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or disease,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be caused temporarily by the use ...
, bouts of coughing, and
paranoid behavior in individuals. He is often depicted hiding in forests.
Events of the attack
The stabbing took place in David's Park, a wooded area near
Waukesha,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, during a game of
hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...
on May 31, 2014. The perpetrators, Anissa Weier (born November 10, 2001) and Morgan Geyser (born May 16, 2002), pinned down Payton Isabella Leutner (also known as Bella, a nickname used at the time of the crime)
and stabbed her nineteen times in the arms, legs, and torso with a blade. Two wounds were to major organs; one missed a major artery of her heart by less than a millimeter, and another went through her diaphragm, cutting into her
liver
The liver is a major Organ (anatomy), organ only found in vertebrates which performs many essential biological functions such as detoxification of the organism, and the Protein biosynthesis, synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for ...
and
stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...
.
Weier and Geyser told Leutner to lie down while they would find help, but they did not get any upon leaving.
Afterwards, Leutner dragged herself to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist. The cyclist called 911 when he saw her.
Around five hours later, Weier and Geyser were apprehended near
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 (I-94) is an east–west Interstate Highway connecting the Great Lakes and northern Great Plains regions of the United States. Its western terminus is just east of Billings, Montana, at a junction with I-90; its eastern ter ...
at Steinhafel's furniture store, after walking . The knife used in the stabbing was in a bag they carried. Their goal was to meet Slenderman at his mansion, called Slender Mansion, in the
Nicolet National Forest
Nicollet or Nicolet may refer to:
Canada
*Nicolet, Quebec, the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality
*Nicolet River, Quebec, Canada
People
*Aurèle Nicolet (1926–2016), Swiss flautist
*Hercule Nicolet (1801–1872), Swiss ...
, roughly a 100 mile hike from their location.
During their interviews, Geyser was described as feeling no
empathy
Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, co ...
while Weier was described as feeling guilty for stabbing the victim, but both felt that the attack was needed to appease Slender Man.
Leutner left the hospital seven days after the attack.
She returned to school in September 2014.
Geyser's mental state
While growing up, Geyser experienced many hallucinations such as ghosts, colors melting down walls, and imaginary friends (one named Maggie and another Sev).
One hallucination that occurred often was of a man Geyser named "It" whose body was the color of smoke and ink that stood behind her in mirrors or shifted around corners similar to that of Slender Man.
After the arrest, Geyser’s mother, Angie, stated she became “floridly psychotic.” Correctional officers saw Geyser talking to herself often, pretending to be a cat, and keeping ants as pets. She saw unicorns as well as had continual conversations with Slender Man and other fictional characters such as
Severus Snape
Severus Snape is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. He is an exceptionally skilled wizard whose sarcastic, controlled exterior conceals deep emotions and anguish. A Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft ...
.
In the fall of 2014, Geyser was moved to the
Winnebago Mental Health Institute to determine if she would be competent enough to stand trial.
They diagnosed Geyser on October 22, 2014 wit
early-onset childhood schizophrenia However, instead of treatment and medication, they focused on explaining the law to Geyser to prepare her for trial.
Nearly half a year later, Geyser was found competent enough to stand trial.
Geyser’s
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
was continually left untreated for nineteen months leading her to remain in a state of
psychosis
Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior ...
, or out of touch with reality.
In December she was sent back to Winnebago and given
antipsychotics
Antipsychotics, also known as neuroleptics, are a class of Psychiatric medication, psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizophrenia but ...
which later allowed Geyser to feel remorse after clearing her mind. On March 23, 2016, Geyser was sent back to jail with the medication where she rapidly
deteriorated.
However, after a suicide attempt, Geyser was transferred back to Winnebago.
Court case and negotiations
Following the investigation, Geyser was charged with
attempted first-degree homicide, a Class-A
felony
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
, and Weier was charged with attempted
second-degree homicide, a Class-B felony. Due to the nature of the offenses, both Weier and Geyser were waived out of
juvenile court
A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
to be tried as adults.
In 2017, Weier pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree homicide. A jury then found her "not guilty by mental disease or defect." Geyser accepted a
plea offer under which she would not go to trial, and would be evaluated by psychiatrists to determine how long she should be placed in a mental hospital. She later pleaded guilty but was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and was diagnosed with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...
, from which her father also suffers.
Weier was sentenced to 25 years to
life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
, an indeterminate sentence involving at least three years locked confinement and involuntary treatment in a state psychiatric institute, followed by communal supervision until age 37.
Geyser was given the maximum sentence, 40 years to life, an indeterminate sentence involving at least three years locked confinement, in addition to involuntary treatment in a state psychiatric institute until complete resolution of symptoms or until age 53, whichever may happen first; followed by continued communal supervision, periodic reevaluations and/or reinstitution, and further treatment as needed, as required by the sentence imposed. While Geyser will periodically have the opportunity to petition for her release from a mental health facility in the future, she will remain under institutional care for the duration of the sentence. During her trial, Geyser had been committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, and was the youngest patient there.
At a court hearing on March 10, 2021, Weier, who was by then 19, submitted a letter to the court stating that she was "sorry and deeply regretful for the agony, pain, and fear I have caused", not just to Leutner, but to "my community as well". Weier stated that, "I hate my actions from May 31, 2014, but through countless hours of therapy, I no longer hate myself for them." On July 1, 2021,
Waukesha County
Waukesha County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its county seat and largest city is Waukesha.
Waukesha Co ...
Judge Michael Bohren ordered Weier released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, gave state officials sixty days to draw up a conditional release plan, and required that Weier be assigned state Department of Health Services case managers to track her progress until she is 37 years old, the length of her commitment.
On September 13, 2021, Weier was released with multiple
stipulations In United States law, a stipulation is a formal legal acknowledgment and agreement made between opposing parties before a pending hearing or trial.
For example, both parties might stipulate to certain facts and so not have to argue them in court. A ...
to include: 24-hour GPS monitoring requiring her to not leave Waukesha County without permission. Weier will also have her Internet usage monitored, and will not be allowed to use any forms of social media. Weier will also be required to take medication, and will be personally escorted to regular counseling sessions by a case worker. She will also be required to live with her father during her probation.
Geyser's appeal
In 2020, an appeals court rejected Geyser's petition to be retried as a juvenile. Her attorney, Matthew Pinix, argued that she should have been charged with attempted second-degree intentional homicide rather than first-degree, and argued that Geyser gave statements to investigators before being read her
''Miranda'' rights. He has petitioned the
Supreme Court of Wisconsin to review the ruling. In early 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal.
Aftermath
In the aftermath of the stabbing, the Creepypasta Wiki was blocked throughout the
Waukesha School District.
On the Tuesday following the stabbing, Slender Man creator Eric Knudsen said: "I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act."
Sloshedtrain, the administrator of the Creepypasta Wiki,
said that the stabbing was an isolated incident that did not accurately represent the
creepypasta
Creepypastas are horror-related legends that have been shared around the Internet. Creepypasta has since become a catch-all term for any horror content posted onto the Internet. These Internet entries are often brief, user-generated, paranormal ...
community. He also stated that the Creepypasta Wiki was a literary website, and that they did not condone murder or
satanic rituals.
Members of the creepypasta community held a 24-hour live stream on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
June 13–14, 2014, to raise money for the stabbing victim. Joe Jozwowski, an administrator on a creepypasta website, said the purpose of the stream was to show that members of the community cared for the victim, and did not condone real-world violence because they enjoyed fiction that contains violence.
On August 12,
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Scott Walker issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday, August 13, 2014, "Purple Hearts for Healing Day", and encouraged the people of Wisconsin to wear purple on that day to honor the victim of the stabbing. He also praised the "strength and determination" exhibited by Leutner during her recovery. The city of
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
, held a one-day
bratwurst
Bratwurst () is a type of German sausage made from pork or, less commonly, beef or veal. The name is derived from the Old High German ''Brätwurst'', from ''brät-'', finely chopped meat, and ''Wurst'', sausage, although in modern German it is o ...
festival to honor Leutner on August 29, several days before the victim returned to school.
Hot dog
A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced Hot dog bun, bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener (Vienna sausag ...
s and bratwurst were sold to raise money towards the victim's medical costs. The event was run by over 250 volunteers, and raised over $70,000 for Leutner.
Debate on the effect of the Internet on children
The stabbing resulted in extensive debate about the role of the
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
in society and its effect on children. Russell Jack, Waukesha Police Chief, said that the stabbing "should be a wake-up call for all parents", adding that the Internet "is full of information and wonderful sites that teach and entertain", but that it "can also be full of dark and wicked things".
John Egelhof, a retired agent of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
, argued that the Internet had become a "black hole" with the ability to expose children to a more sinister world.
Egelhof suggested that the best way to avoid future incidents was for parents to keep track of their children's online habits, and to educate them on the differences between right and wrong.
Shira Chess, an assistant professor of mass media arts at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
, stated that creepypasta was no more dangerous than stories about
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
s or
zombie
A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...
s. She argued that creepypasta websites were beneficial, and that they gave people the opportunity to become better writers.
Media
A documentary film on the incident called ''
Beware the Slenderman
''Beware the Slenderman'' (stylized as ''_beware the slenderman'') is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky about the Slender Man stabbing. It premiered at South by Southwest in March 2016 and was broadcast on HBO on ...
'' was released by
HBO Films
HBO Films (formerly called HBO Premiere Films and HBO Pictures) is an American production and distribution company, a division of the cable television network HBO that produces feature films and miniseries. The division produces fiction and non-fi ...
in March 2016, and was broadcast on
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
on January 23, 2017.
A season 16 episode of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', titled "
Glasgowman's Wrath", is loosely based on the event.
The ''
Criminal Minds
''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis (writer), Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was r ...
'' episode "The Tall Man" (Episode 14.05, airdate October 31, 2018) was also inspired by this story.
On October 14, 2018, a movie inspired by the Slender Man stabbing, called ''Terror in the Woods'', aired on
Lifetime. The film stars Ella West Jerrier, Sophia Grace McCarthy, Skylar Morgan Jones,
Angela Kinsey
Angela Faye Kinsey (born June 25, 1971) is an American actress. She played Angela Martin in the sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013) and appeared in the sitcoms '' Your Family or Mine'' (2015) and ''Haters Back Off'' (2016–2017). Since ''The ...
,
Drew Powell
Andrew Powell (born January 19, 1976) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Hoss Cartwright on the PAX series '' Ponderosa'', Cadet Drew on ''Malcolm in the Middle'', and Butch Gilzean/Cyrus Gold/Solomon Grundy, a series regula ...
, and Carrie Hood.
Christina Ricci serves as the executive producer of the film.
On March 31, 2019, another movie inspired by the Slender Man stabbing titled ''
Mercy Black
''Mercy Black'' is a 2019 American horror film written and directed by Owen Egerton. It stars Daniella Pineda as a woman who is released from a psychiatric hospital 15 years after stabbing a classmate because of an urban legend about a ghost know ...
'', starring
Daniella Pineda
Daniella Pineda (born February 20, 1987) is an American actress. She has had major roles in several films and TV series, including '' The Originals'', Netflix's live-action '' Cowboy Bebop'', and multiple films in the ''Jurassic Park'' franchise ...
, was released on
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
with no prior announcement. Directed by Owen Egerton and produced primarily by
Blumhouse Productions
Blumhouse Productions (; also known as BH Productions or simply BH) is an American film and television production company founded in 2000 by Jason Blum.
It is known mainly for producing horror films, such as ''Paranormal Activity'', ''Insidio ...
, it tells the story of two girls with
pre-schizophrenia who attempt to murder their friend, believing that a spirit named Mercy Black will offer them a gift in return. Later, the protagonist is released from psychiatric care, and has to deal with the realistic and paranormal consequences of her actions.
On October 24, 2019, more than five years after the stabbing, Leutner, then 17, spoke to
ABC's ''20/20'' about her experience for the first time. She spoke of her scars, saying, "I don't think much of them. They will probably go away and fade eventually". She told the interviewers that she met her attackers in fourth grade. When asked what she would say if she ever saw Geyser again, Leutner added that she would "thank" her, because the attack inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.
In September 2021, in the wake of Weier's release, it was revealed that Leutner had moved out of Waukesha County, and currently attends an undisclosed college as a sophomore student.
See also
*
Folie à deux
Folie à deux ('folly of two', or 'madness haredby two'), also known as shared psychosis or shared delusional disorder (SDD), is a collection of rare psychiatric syndromes in which symptoms of a delusional belief, and sometimes hallucinations, ...
*
Parker–Hulme murder case
The Parker–Hulme murder case began in the city of Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand, on 22 June 1954, when Honorah Rieper (also known as Honorah Parker, her legal name) was killed by her teenage daughter, Pauline Parker, and Pauline's c ...
*
Sasebo slashing
The , also known as the Nevada-tan murder, was the murder of a 12-year-old Japanese schoolgirl, , by an 11-year-old female classmate referred to as "Girl A" (a common placeholder name used for female criminals in Japan). The murder occurred on ...
*
''Slender Man'' (film)
References
Further reading
*
*
{{Slender Man
2014 crimes in the United States
2014 in Wisconsin
Crimes in Wisconsin
Mass media-related controversies in the United States
May 2014 crimes in the United States
May 2014 events in the United States
Moral panic
Slender Man
Stabbing attacks in 2014
Stabbing survivors
Waukesha, Wisconsin