A Wisconsin judge has approved the conditional release of
Morgan Geyser
, the woman who, at age 12, stabbed a classmate 19 times in a bid to appease the fictional horror figure
Slender Man
.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner
signed off Thursday on a new release plan for Geyser, now 22, allowing her to leave the
Winnebago Mental Health Institute
, where she has been held for the past seven years. The decision follows a previous ruling in January, where three mental health experts testified that Geyser had made meaningful progress in her treatment.
Geyser was committed to a psychiatric facility in 2018 after pleading guilty to
attempted first-degree intentional homicide
, though she maintained she was not criminally responsible due to mental illness. She was sentenced to up to
40 years
of institutional care.
In April, prosecutors objected to an earlier release proposal after the victim’s mother,
Payton Leutner’s
, raised concerns. The proposed group home was located just eight miles from where Leutner resides. The court then ordered a revised plan, which was approved Thursday. Specific details of the plan — including her location and the timeline of her release — were not disclosed in open court. Geyser’s attorney did not immediately comment.
The 2014 case shocked the nation. Geyser and her friend,
Anissa Weier
, lured Leutner to a wooded area in
Waukesha
after a sleepover. Geyser carried out the stabbing while Weier encouraged it. Both girls later told police they believed the attack would win favor with Slender Man and prevent him from harming their families. Afterward, they set off on foot, intending to walk to Slender Man’s “mansion” in northern Wisconsin. They were found and arrested along
Interstate 94
.
Leutner, who was also 12 at the time, survived the brutal attack and managed to crawl to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist.
Geyser’s legal journey has been marked by debate over her mental state. State officials had previously expressed concerns about her readiness for release, pointing to her interest in violent literature and correspondence with a man who collects murder-related items. They alleged she sent him disturbing sketches and notes expressing a desire for intimacy. Geyser reportedly cut off contact with the man in 2024 after learning he was selling the items she sent.
Her attorney,
Anthony Cotton
, argued that the materials she accessed were allowed by the hospital and monitored by staff. A previous judge,
Michael Bohren
, agreed Geyser had not attempted to hide anything and ordered that a release plan be developed. After Bohren retired in April, Judge Wagner took over the case.
Anissa Weier, who also pleaded guilty in 2017 to
attempted second-degree intentional homicide
, was committed for up to 25 years. She was granted conditional release in 2021 and now lives with her father under GPS monitoring.
The Slender Man case drew widespread media attention not just for its violence, but for the bizarre motive: the influence of an internet-created character.
Slender Man
, a tall, faceless figure in a black suit, was born from an online forum in 2009 and quickly became a viral symbol in creepypasta stories, games, and a 2018 movie.
Geyser’s release marks a new chapter in a case that has long stirred national debate over juvenile crime, mental illness, and the internet’s dark influence on young minds.
