'Slender Man' Stabbing: Judge Rules Enough Probable Cause for 1st Degree Attempted Homicide Charges
Judge rules enough probable cause to charge suspects as adults.
— -- There is enough probable cause for the first-degree attempted homicide charges against two Wisconsin girls accused of stabbing their friend 19 times in an Internet-inspired fictional character named Slender Man, a judge ruled today.
Without a lesser charge, the cases cannot automatically be moved into juvenile court without reverse waiver hearings.
Reverse-waiver hearing dates have now been set, where the defense teams will argue whether the first-degree charge should remain in adult court or continue in juvenile court, said Judge Michael Bohren.
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both now 13, were arrested on May, 31, 2014, after allegedly stabbing their then-12-year-old friend Payton Leutner 19 times and leaving her to die in the woods in their hometown of Waukesha, Wisconsin. But after being rushed to the hospital with life threatening injuries, Payton survived.
Anissa's reverse-waiver hearing is set for May 26 and 27; Morgan's for June 17 and 18, the judge said.
Both Morgan and Anissa were obsessed with the fictional character Slender Man, who is often depicted in fan fiction stories online as a horror figure who stalks children. In court this past February, disturbing drawings depicting Slender Man and dismembered Barbie dolls recovered from Morgan’s bedroom were shown.
When asked to describe "Slender Man," Morgan told the detective on the interrogation tape that he was "a tall, faceless man who preys on children," according to the tapes.
"He watches you," she added. "I've never seen him. He's everywhere."
Authorities say Morgan repeatedly told detectives it was "necessary" to kill Payton to become "proxies" of Slender Man and live with him in his mansion in the woods. They believed his mansion was in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. Morgan told police their plan to kill their friend began as early as December 2013.
Get real-time updates as this story unfolds. To start, just "star" this story in ABC News' phone app. Download ABC News for iPhone here or ABC News for Android here.