Slender Man Stabbings: Wisconsin Girls Who Allegedly Stabbed Classmate To Be Tried As Adults
Two Wisconsin girls charged in the so-called “Slender Man” stabbings can be charged as adults, the Associated Press is reporting.
The two girls, who cannot be identified because they are juveniles, were both 12-years-old at the time of their alleged crimes; they are now both 14. Prosecutors have been angling to have the girls tried as adults. If convicted of their alleged crimes, they could both be sentenced to up to 65 years in prison. Were they convicted as juveniles, they would only be in juvenile detention for three years and then supervised until age 18.
Back in May 2014, according to an NBC News report from the time, the two girls allegedly concocted a plan to murder a classmate as a sacrifice to Slender Man. Slender Man is a fictitious character who was created as an internet meme and who serves as a basis for fan-created horror stories known as Creepypasta. The two girls apparently believed he was real and wanted to sacrifice a classmate to protect themselves and their families from him, as well as to prove to their doubters that he existed.
14-year-olds in ‘Slender Man’ case to be tried as adults. https://t.co/swgBRYX4t8 pic.twitter.com/agYDnk3WSG
— upgr?v (@upgruv) July 27, 2016
Following a sleepover, the two girls allegedly lured their classmate into the woods under the guise of playing hide-and-seek. There, one of the alleged perpetrators pinned the victim down while the other stabbed her 19 times with a large kitchen knife, according to Newsweek. The 12-year-old victim suffered stab wounds to her arms, legs, and abdomen, and two of the stab wounds injured major arteries. Her assailants told her they were going for help, but instead they walked away and left her to die.
The victim, blood soaking her clothes and barely alive, managed to crawl to a nearby road, where she lay and waited for help. A passing bicyclist saw her and called 911.
“Please help me. I’ve been stabbed.”
Fortunately, the young girl survived her injuries — her family referred to her recovery as “miraculous” — and she was back to school a few months later. She has since been identified as Payton Leutner.
At the time, Waukesha Police Chief Russell Jack described how the internet played a role in the vicious attack.
“This should be a wake-up call for all parents. The Internet has changed the way we live. It is full of information and wonderful sites that teach and entertain. The Internet can also be full of dark and wicked things.”
The alleged assailants were picked up a few hours later. According to the criminal complaint, they were trying to walk 300 miles to Nicolet National Forest, where they believed Slender Man lived and where they believed they would live in his mansion as his servants.
One of the girls had a bloody knife with a five-inch blade in her bag. When questioned, one of them expressed something approaching regret about her alleged heinous act.
“I believe it’s ending a life, and I regret it. The bad part of me wanted her to die; the good part of me wanted her to live.”
The girls’ attorneys have argued that both girls are mentally ill and would not receive the treatment they need in an adult prison. Expert witnesses have testified that one of the girls suffers from schizophrenia and oppositional defiant disorder; the other suffers from a delusional disorder called schizotypy. Those mental illnesses, defense attorneys argue, convinced the girls that Slender Man is real.
Do you believe the two teenage girls behind the Slender Man stabbing should be tried as adults?
[Photo by Journal Sentinel/Rick Wood/Pool/AP Images]
