Teen Convicted In 'Slender Man' Stabbing Of 12-Year-Old Friend Released After Serving 4 Years In Mental Institution
She wasn't due to be released until she was 37.
Michael Sears/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel The chilling case of the 'Slender Man' stabbing flooded headlines back in 2014 after two 12-year-olds attempted to kill their friend in order to appease the fictional character, "Slender Man."
Today, one of the convicted girls, Anissa Weier, is being released from Winnebago Mental Health Institute after serving four years there.
Why did Anissa Weier get released?
In July, a judge agreed to release Weier based on the recommendations of three doctors who evaluated her and said that she did not pose a threat to herself or others.
In a letter requesting her release, Weier said she had, "exhausted all the resources available to me at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute.”
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“If I am to become a productive member of society, I need to be a part of society,” she added.
The terms of Weier's conditional release state she must live with her father, submit to around-the-clock GPS monitoring, receive regular psychiatric treatment, and will have her internet usage both monitored and restricted.
She will not be allowed to use the internet outside of her father's house.
Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser stabbed Payton Leutner in 2014.
In what later became known as the 'Slender Man Stabbing,' Weier and a friend plotted to stab another friend 19 times before leaving her to barely survive.
The victim, Payton Leutner, was also 12-years-old at the time of the stabbing. She had been friends with the other girls, and together they attended Horning Middle School in Waukesha, WI.
On May 30th, 2014, Geyser invited Weier and Leutner to a birthday sleepover party. The next day, Geyser and Weier lured Leutner into the woods and then stabbed her a total of 19 times.
When authorities found Geyser and Weier hours later on the side of a road, the girls told investigators they were "on their way to live with Slender Man."
Weier and Geyser planned the 'Slender Man' stabbing for months.
The two girls intended to kill Leutner long before the terrifying incident on May 31st. According to the criminal complaint, they originally planned to murder Leutner earlier that Saturday at 2AM by taping her mouth shut and stabbing her in the neck as she slept in bed.
Plans changed after the friend group went roller skating on Friday night. Weier and Geyser then planned to kill Leutner in a public park bathroom as Weier told police she "knew there was a drain in the floor for the blood to go down."
The girls got cold feet yet again, and so Weier suggested they go for a walk. It was there that she pointed out a wooded area to Geyser, and their plan finally evolved into the lethal game of "hide and seek" that was used to distract the victim and attack her.
Weier was originally meant to stab Leutner, but she reported backing out because she felt "squeamish." Instead, Weier sat on the victim and allegedly gave the order for Geyser to start stabbing.
Geyser and Weier entered insanity pleas.
Geyser was ultimately charged with attempted first-degree homicide, while Weier was charged with attempted second-degree homicide. Because of the nature of their offenses, both girls were tried as adults.
Weier was originally sentenced to 25 years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in December 2017. However, she served just 4 years.
Morgan Geyser remains in a mental institution.
Geyser was committed to 40 years in a state mental hospital after being found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
In August, she lost an appeal to review her conviction. However, she is eligible to petition for a conditional release every six months.
Payton Leutner was last seen in dated interviews.
Now 19, the brave survivor is expected to start college. She previously told interviewers she was inspired to pursue a career in the medical field after the horrifying attempt on her life.
In her 2019 ABC interview, Leutner told David Muir that she's worked hard to heal and rebuild her life.
Her road to recovery was difficult — she cited being unable to sleep alone at night and having to sleep with a pair of scissors under her pillow "just in case."
Now that Weier has been released, our thoughts go out to Leutner in the hopes that she continues to find peace and healing while moving on from the tragic betrayal she faced at the hands of her ex-friends.
Yona Dervishi is a writer who is currently working at YourTango as an editorial intern. She covers topics pertaining to news and entertainment.