Teenage Girls Attempt To Murder For Slender Man

The 12-year-old girls had been plotting the murder for months, police say.

Morgan E. Geyser was allowed to have two friends over each year for her birthday. This year, she'd celebrate on May 30. That is the day she and Anissa E. Weier would try to kill their friend during a sleepover.

On Monday, the two Waukesha girls were charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court as adults with attempted first-degree intentional homicide, each facing up to 65 years in prison. Their victim, another 12-year-old from Waukesha, was stabbed 19 times by either Geyser or Weier or both, according to a criminal complaint. All three attend Horning Middle School in Waukesha.

Both suspects explained the stabbing to police referencing their dedication to Slender Man, the character they discovered on a website called Creepypasta Wiki, which is devoted to horror stories.

Weier told police that Slender Man is the "leader" of Creepypasta, and in the hierarchy of that world, one must kill to show dedication. Weier said that Geyser told her they should become "proxies" of Slender Man — a paranormal figure known for his ability to create tendrils from his fingers and back — and kill their friend to prove themselves worthy of him. Weier said she was surprised by Geyser's suggestion, but also excited to prove skeptics wrong and show that Slender Man really did exist.

The suspects believed that "Slender," as Weier called him, lived in a mansion in the Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. The plan was to kill the victim and walk to Slender's mansion.

Geyser's mom said they could go and play in David's Park, on S. East Ave., just north of Les Paul Parkway. As they left, Geyser lifted up the left side of her white jacket; the knife was tucked in her waistband. Weier told police she gave Geyser a look with "wide eyes." When asked by police what that meant, Weier said, "I thought, dear God, this was really happening."

Weier said they eventually ended up in the park bathroom where Weier planned stab her friend. Once in the bathroom, Geyser handed Weier the knife, and Weier indicated that Geyser tried to restrain the victim, but Geyser had a "nervous breakdown" and Weier had to calm her down.

Weier then suggested they go for a walk, pointing out a wooded area near Rivera Drive and Big Bend Road. They could play hide and seek, distract the victim, then kill her. Geyser was the first "seeker," and Weier and the victim hid. Weier told the victim where to hide and told her to lie facedown in the dirt. The girl refused. Weier then pushed the victim and sat on her, thinking Geyser could stab her. But the victim began to yell and complain that she couldn't breathe. She was attracting attention, so Weier got off her.

Geyser gave Weier the knife, but Weier said she told Geyser she was too squeamish and gave it back.

Weier said that once Geyser got the knife back, Geyser told Weier, "I'm not going to until you tell me to." Weier said she started walking away from Geyser and then told her, "Go ballistic, go crazy." Geyser said she would go ballistic, and Weier said, "Now."

Weier said Geyser then tackled the victim and started stabbing her. The victim was screaming. Weier said when Geyser got off the victim, the victim screamed, "I hate you. I trusted you."

Weier said the victim tried to walk toward the street but was stumbling. They didn't want anyone to see her, so Weier grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the street. The victim fell. Weier said the victim couldn't breathe, see or walk. Weier told the victim to lie down and be quiet — she would lose blood more slowly. Weier told police she gave the victim those instructions so she wouldn't draw attention to herself, and so she would die. Weier told the victim they were going to get her help; but they never planned on actually doing so. They hoped she would die, and they would see Slender and know he existed. With the victim lying on the ground, they began to back away.

When police asked Weier if she knew what it meant to kill someone, Weier said, "I believe it's ending a life and I regret it." Weier also said, "The bad part of me wanted her to die, the good part of me wanted her to live."