The young woman, infamous for her involvement in the chilling Slender Man stabbing, will not be leaving the confines of the Winnebago Mental Health Institute anytime soon.
A judge has decisively rejected Morgan Geyser’s plea for conditional release, citing concerns over potential harm to herself and others.
Geyser, now 21, had hoped to walk free, but her petition was swiftly dismissed on Thursday, CBS News reports.
This ruling echoes the sentiments of two psychologists who testified against her release, stating that her purported improvement does not align with years of observation and treatment.
Morgan Geyser’s mugshot. Credit: Waukesha Police Department
Brooke Lundbohm, who has closely monitored Geyser’s progress since 2014, expressed disbelief at the notion that Geyser had been feigning her psychotic symptoms. “That would be rather remarkable. That would be very callous as well,” Lundbohm remarked, highlighting the complexities of Geyser’s mental state.
While acknowledging Geyser’s strides in mental health, experts unanimously advocate for her continued confinement. Psychologist Deborah Collins offered a glimpse of hope, suggesting that a release might be plausible in the next six to 12 months, albeit with caution.
Geyser’s shocking story began in 2014 when, at the tender age of 12, she and her accomplice Anissa Weier lured their classmate Payton Leutner into a Waukesha park.
Anissa Weier’s mugshot. Credit: Waukesha Police Department
What followed was a harrowing attack that shook the nation—Geyser mercilessly stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier stood by, a chilling spectacle that unfolded in the darkness of the woods.
Miraculously, Leutner survived the ordeal, summoning help by bravely flagging down a passing cyclist. The motives behind the attack were as perplexing as they were horrifying; Geyser and Weier claimed they were driven by a desire to appease the fictional entity known as Slender Man—an internet-born boogeyman whose lore had captured their imaginations.
Geyser and Weier claimed they were driven by a desire to appease the fictional entity known as Slender Man. Credit: Floriana / Getty
Geyser’s diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder shed light on the depths of her mental anguish. While she pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide, the court recognized her mental state and sentenced her to a maximum of 40 years in the psychiatric facility.
Her accomplice, Weier, faced a similar fate but was granted conditional release in 2021, a decision met with mixed reactions from the public. Now, with Geyser’s hopes dashed, the lingering specter of the Slender Man stabbing continues to haunt Wisconsin—and the nation at large.