The girl, identified as Morgan Geyser, is too mentally ill to even understand the charges she had to face and defend herself from. Her condition was evaluated by two psychologists who later on confirmed that Geyser is unfit for trial.
The case has accused Morgan Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier with premeditated attack against a playmate. The plan is said to be linked to a ritual involving a fictional character known as "Slender Man."
On May 31, the unidentified victim was stabbed for at least 17 times and left in the woods to die. One of the wounds almost hit the victim's heart. The incident happened near the girls' homes just outside Milwaukee. The victim, who managed to crawl out of the woods, was soon discovered by a passing bicyclist. She's currently recovering at her home after getting treatment from the hospital.
The accused girls, both aged 12, said that they stabbed their classmate in order to please "Slender Man," an online horror character. They even planned that after the killing that they would go and live with Slender Man, who they believe lives in a mansion somewhere in a forest in northern Wisconsin.
Geyser also believes that she can communicate with Slender Man through telepathic means. She thinks that the character can cause harm to her or to her family if she talks about him.
During a cross-examination, the prosecutors suggested that Geyser's interest and fascination with fictional characters was already apparent even months before committing the crime. However, her family and the officials in her school didn't see any red flags about her mental condition.
Brooke Lundbohm, a psychologist that was appointed by the court, noted that Geyser had been performing well in her school. She was described as artistic, helpful, loving and affectionate, and showed no signs of aggressive behavior.
Geyser will undergo a psychiatric treatment and her progress will be scheduled for review on Nov. 12. She will receive treatment in a hospital or in a juvenile detention facility. Weier, on the other hand, is proceeding with the trial.
In Wisconsin, the law states that any person from age 10 and up will be charged as an adult when they are involved in a severe crime. This means Geyser and her friend can be charged with first degree murder or attempted murder and will not be categorized as juveniles.
The defendant's attorneys are working on moving the case from adult to juvenile court. Doing so would make the defendant serve a maximum sentence of 25 years.
