‘Slender Man’ stabbing: Morgan Geyser sentenced to 40 years in mental hospital
Geyser and Anissa Weier were 12 when they stabbed their best friend to appease fictional character

A 15-year-old girl has been sentenced to 40 years in a mental institution after admitting her part in an attempted murder carried out to win favour with a fictional internet character, Slender Man.
Morgan Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier were both aged 12 when they lured their 12-year-old classmate to a park in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where Geyser stabbed her 19 times while Weier “urged her on”, the BBC says.
The pair left the victim for dead, but she was able to crawl from where she was attacked and was found by a passing cyclist.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
One of the girls told police at the time that if they had not carried out the attack, her family would have been killed by Slender Man, an imaginary monster first created on a comedy internet forum and often portrayed as a tall, thin figure with a blank face and tentacles protruding from his back.
Geyser pleaded guilty to the stabbing in October, and has been undergoing psychiatric treatment while waiting to be sentenced, and is “making progress with her mental illness, to various degrees”, The Guardian reports.
Judge Michael Bohren handed Geyser the maximum sentence sought by prosecutors, arguing that the crime was premeditated and Geyser remained a danger to herself and to others.
“We can’t forget what we are dealing with,” Bohren said, “and we can't forget that this was an attempted murder.”
Geyser broke down in court when she was given an opportunity to apologise to the victim and her family. “I never meant this to happen and I hope that she's doing well,” she said.
The other teen involved in the stabbing, Anissa Weier, was sentenced to 25 years in a mental institution in December.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Trump uses tariffs to upend Brazil's domestic politics
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By slapping a 50% tariff on Brazil for its criminal investigation into Bolsonaro, the Trump administration is brazenly putting its fingers on the scales of a key foreign election
-
3 questions to ask when deciding whether to repair or replace your broken appliance
the explainer There may be merit to fixing what you already have, but sometimes buying new is even more cost-effective
-
'Trump's authoritarian manipulation of language'
Instant Opinion Vienna has become a 'convenient target for populists' | Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos