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Anissa E. Weier and Morgan E. Geyser were a pair of children who attempted to kill their friend on May 31, 2014. Their crime has become particularly notorious for the fact that they did it in order to please the fictional Slender Man.

Backgrounds[]

Anissa Weier[]

Not much information is known about Anissa Weier other than that she was born on November 10, 2001 to Bill and Kristi Weier, that she grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and that at some point, she befriended both Morgan Geyser and Payton Leutner.

Morgan Geyser[]

Geyser was born on May 16, 2002 to Matt and Angie Geyser. For most of her lifetime up until the stabbing, she grew up in Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Most of her childhood and family life was average and normal.

According to a former sixth-grade classmate of Geyser's, she was smart, capable, and relaxed until they both reached the fourth grade. At that point, the classmate described how her former friend started acting a little less normal than usual by becoming obsessed with suicide; she also believed Slender Man was coming for her. Following this, she began to distance herself away from Geyser after the latter began brandishing a sledgehammer, stating it was a weapon and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

Stabbing and Captures[]

Weier and Geyser's original date for the attack was May 30, 2014; they planned on taping Leutner's mouth shut and stabbing her in the neck. However, both girls did not carry out this attack, as they were apparently feeling too tired to do so. A second plan involved attacking the victim in a local park's bathroom because Weier and Geyser wanted to use the drains for Leutner's blood, but this was also never done.

The actual date of the attack took place the next day. In a nearby forest at David's Park, the three girls were playing a game of hide-and-seek. Leutner was suddenly pinned down and stabbed nineteen times in the arms, legs, and torso with a kitchen knife that was five inches long. Two of the wounds were to major organs, one missed a major artery to her heart by less than a millimeter, and another one cut her liver and stomach. Weier told her to lay down because the blood would come out slower. She and Geyser told her that they would get help, but they instead abandoned her. Leutner was able to drag herself to a nearby road where a cyclist named Greg Steinberg found her.

Weier and Geyser were found and apprehended near Interstate 94 at a furniture store. A bag that they were carrying contained the knife. Geyser reportedly felt no empathy about the attack, but Weier expressed remorse, saying that they only did it to appease Slender Man. Seven days after the stabbing, Leutner left the hospital and returned to school in September.

In 2017, Weier pleaded guilty to participating in an attempted second-degree homicide; she was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Meanwhile, Geyser accepted a plea deal in which she would not go to trial and instead by evaluated by psychiatrists to determine how long she should stay in a mental hospital. She later pleaded guilty and, like her friend, was found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Weier was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years, with at least the first three to be served in solitary confinement and involuntary treatment in a state psychiatry institute, followed by communal supervision until the age of 37. Geyser received almost the same sentence, with the exception of 40 years or more, as well as complete resolution of symptoms or at least until the age of 53.

In 2018, Geyser was sentenced to 40 years under mental health facility's supervision. She will periodically have the opportunity to petition for her release in the future, but she will also remain under institutional care for the duration of her sentence. During her trial, she had been committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, making her the youngest patient there.

Aftermath[]

Slender Man's reputation was tarnished by this incident in particular. On the Tuesday following the attack, the creator apologized to the families of anyone who was affected. The Waukesha School District blocked the Creepypasta Wiki. Meanwhile, on June 13-14, the Creepypasta community held a 24-hour livestream to raise money for Leutner.

On August 12, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation for "Purple Hearts for Healing Day" to be held the next day, in which people would wear purple to honor the victim. He also praised the "strength and determination" that she exhibited during her recovery.

On August 29, days before Leutner returned to school, the city of Madison held a one-day bratwurst festival to honor her. Hot dogs and bratwurst were sold to raise money for her medical bills. The event, run by 250 volunteers, raised over $70,000.

The stabbing sparked debate about how the Internet was impacting children, especially concerning Creepypastas. Multiple documentaries and movies based on the attack have been made.

Days later, a woman reported that her 13-year-old daughter, who was obsessed with the Slender Man, stabbed her in Cincinnati, Ohio. On September 4, a 14-year-old girl in Port Richey, Florida, set her family's house on fire with her mother and 9-year-old brother still inside; she, too, was a fan of Slender Man. The character was also linked to the 2014 Las Vegas shootings, as the perpetrators sometimes cosplayed as him.

In 2021, Anissa Weier appealed for her release, stating that she had regretted her actions and was granted a release by Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren on July 1st. On September 13th, Weier was released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute with several conditions which included not being allowed to leave Waukesha County without permission, not using any social media alongside a monitoring of internet usage, being escorted to regular counseling meetings with a case worker present, taking required medications and living with her father while on probation.

Following Weier’s release from institutionalization, Payton Leutner moved out of Waukesha County.

Modus Operandi[]

Since Weier and Geyser never killed anyone and had only targeted one person, the term "M.O." is somewhat misused. Believing that they would make Slender Man happy by sacrificing a victim, they targeted a girl their age, stabbing her repeatedly with a kitchen knife.

Known Victims[]

  • May 31, 2014, Waukesha, Wisconsin: Payton Leutner, 12 (stabbed nineteen times in the arms, legs and torso; survived)

On Criminal Minds[]

Sources[]

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