Jury says teen in 'Slenderman' stabbing case was mentally ill
A jury on Friday determined that a 15-year-old Wisconsin girl who stabbed her classmate 19 times to please a fictional online character named "Slenderman" was mentally ill at the time of the attack. As a result, Anissa Weier will avoid jail time and instead be committed to a mental institution.
Weier was 12 years old when she and a friend, Morgan Geyser, attacked their classmate, who survived. Geyser has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and a psychologist testified that Weier became convinced that Slenderman was real through something called "shared delusional disorder." Both girls were charged with attempted murder and were tried as adults. Had she been found guilty, Weier could have spent up to 10 years in prison. Geyser's trial begins in October.
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Jessica Hullinger is a writer and former deputy editor of The Week Digital. Originally from the American Midwest, she completed a degree in journalism at Indiana University Bloomington before relocating to New York City, where she pursued a career in media. After joining The Week as an intern in 2010, she served as the title’s audience development manager, senior editor and deputy editor, as well as a regular guest on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. Her writing has featured in other publications including Popular Science, Fast Company, Fortune, and Self magazine, and she loves covering science and climate-related issues.
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