GUILTY WI - 12-Year-Old Girls Stab Friend 19 Times for Slenderman, Waukesha, 31 May 2014 #2

[tlcya]

remind me Which attorney reps which girl?

 

[inthedark14]

I think it really stinks that the AP article named the victim but didn't name the two who stabbed her and left her for dead. I get it that they're minors and all that...Sigh.

I just wish the minor victim received the same consideration.

ALWAYS MOO

 

[tlcya]

that jumped out at me too inthedark

 

[MyBelle]

The court records for MG has been updated with "requesting response sent to ADA".

Assuming that this means the Americans with Disabilities Act, one assumes that this concerns the protections that MG would have under that act with regard to her schizophrenia. For mental illnesses, one of these protections is "culture and age-appropriate treatment". I imagine that this would be a powerful reason to have MG's case transferred to the juvenile system.

I didn't realize this, but in the adult context, a significant proportion (5 - 8%) of violent crime is committed by sufferers of schizophrenia, who are either not diagnosed, or have not been receiving/taking their medication. From what I've read, such crime is almost entirely preventable if sufferers are receiving anti-psychotic medication. I imagine that MG's best-case scenario is at some future point to be released into society under heavy supervision (and medication)... possibly some years from now.

Not sure what the future holds for AW. The state has deemed that she is not only competent, but of well above-average intelligence. She does not, however, appear to have much "common sense" to apply to real-world situations, which is pretty much exactly what her older brother said. She apparently stated that she didn't know that she could have had a lawyer present prior to making a statement, otherwise she would have requested this. She appears to be "completely normal" from an outside point of view. I imagine that the prosecution will seek to discount the Slender Man angle as an excuse in her case, saying that she used the stories as a tool to achieve other goals, knowing MG to be susceptible to such beliefs.

I think correctional facilities in Wisconsin whether juvenile or adult do comply with the provisions of the federal Disabilities Act. In my state, an inmate can't be forced to take medication for anything.

There is no way the state can force someone to take medication after they are released back into society, imo.

 

[MyBelle]

I think it really stinks that the AP article named the victim but didn't name the two who stabbed her and left her for dead. I get it that they're minors and all that...Sigh.

I just wish the minor victim received the same consideration.

ALWAYS MOO

The victim's family revealed her identity on 20/20. The identity of the assailants was also revealed.

In an ABC News "20/20" exclusive, Payton and her parents, Stacie and Joe Leutner, opened up for the first time about recovering from the horrific ordeal.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-ma...ts-describe-horrific-ordeal/story?id=25787516

 

[inthedark14]

The victim's family revealed her identity on 20/20. The identity of the assailants was also revealed.

In an ABC News "20/20" exclusive, Payton and her parents, Stacie and Joe Leutner, opened up for the first time about recovering from the horrific ordeal.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-ma...ts-describe-horrific-ordeal/story?id=25787516

I saw that episode too. However I still think it stinks that her name continues to come up while the little monsters who tried to kill her are not.

Their names have been public since the start.

ALWAYS MOO

 

[tlcya]

Technically, she was not the victim of SA so I get that the media can use her name. I just wish they wouldn't. Then if wishes were horses we'd all ride in style.

 

[MyBelle]

I saw that episode too. However I still think it stinks that her name continues to come up while the little monsters who tried to kill her are not.

Their names have been public since the start.

ALWAYS MOO

Keep in mind the Associated Press wrote that story and they have to adhere to their own style book rules because they are a paid subscription service. The media that buy the AP story can certainly rewrite it under a byline and follow their own rules. Frankly, I think that is why the victim's parents made sure the "little monsters" had their name attached to their handiwork in the ABC story.

JMO

 

[tarjessi]

I think it really stinks that the AP article named the victim but didn't name the two who stabbed her and left her for dead. I get it that they're minors and all that...Sigh.

I just wish the minor victim received the same consideration.

ALWAYS MOO

Sadly the victims never seem to be considered all that much. I hate when some trials turn into an utter circus for narcissistic murderers to parade in - "oh woah is me" for the murderer and piss all over a victim who cannot defend themselves...

 

[Softail]

Judge: Decision on Waukesha stabbing trial will come in March

WAUKESHA, Wis. —A Waukesha County judge hearing arguments in the Slenderman stabbing case said a decision on any future trial will not come until March.

Prosecutors charged the girls as adults with first-degree attempted homicide in the attack last May. The defense argues the girls' cases should be sent back to juvenile court.

http://www.wisn.com/news/judge-says-decision-on-waukesha-stabbing-trial-will-come-in-march/31315548

 

[Elley Mae]

This is just mind boggling.

 

[Softail]

For anyone interested, This is our local NBC station. The tweets are all still here from the hearing:

http://www.jrn.com/tmj4/news/slende...-Man-stabbing-case-on-March-13-292247241.html

The names of the 2 girls have been all over the news for the past few weeks (along with their pictures). That I've noticed.

This is the ABC local station:

http://www.wisn.com/news/judge-says-decision-on-waukesha-stabbing-trial-will-come-in-march/31315548

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

EXCLUSIVE: Back at school and celebrating her birthday while the 12-year-old girls accused of trying to murder her learn if they will be tried as adults - the amazing recovery of the 'Slender Man' stabbing victim
Payton Leutner came close to death when she was stabbed 19 times by her two 12-year-old friends who had invited her to a sleepover

Her family tell Daily Mail Online her physical recovery has been remarkable and she celebrated her 13th birthday with friends

Payton's parents have been in court for preliminary hearing which will decide whether her attackers will be tried as adults

'They are amazing mid-Western parents with mid-Western values,' spokesman says of family, who live in Waukesha, Wisconsin

Court due to decide next month of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, now 13 should be tried as adults for attempted murder

Their lawyers claim they believed they had been told to kill by 'Slender Man' which grew out of an internet meme and want them tried as juveniles

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...lender-Man-stabbing-victim.html#ixzz3SCHK1CTJ

 

[Ausgirl]

Why would that be their fantasy versus living in plush hobbit house with a pool and flying horses and all the clothes and makeup and bling bling they could ever want and Justin bieber visits?

I totally hated 'girly' stuff like that as a kid. I was into Batman comics, heavy metal, horror fiction and true crime. Their preferences don't indicate anything but that they aren't the rainbow and unicorn type, like a lot of other kids. So why didn't I stab any of my friends? Because I wasn't psychotic, probably.

The stabbing a friend thing has nothing to do with not liking Justin Beiber (echhhh!) and more to do with one girl having a psychotic break and the other one encouraging her friend's psychotic beliefs, to get what she wanted. IMO.

 

[miimaa]

I totally hated 'girly' stuff like that as a kid. I was into Batman comics, heavy metal, horror fiction and true crime. Their preferences don't indicate anything but that they aren't the rainbow and unicorn type, like a lot of other kids. So why didn't I stab any of my friends? Because I wasn't psychotic, probably.

The stabbing a friend thing has nothing to do with not liking Justin Beiber (echhhh!) and more to do with one girl having a psychotic break and the other one encouraging her friend's psychotic beliefs, to get what she wanted. IMO.

Yeah......... my words were an example not to be taken literally (Beiber has no importance in the story - reference was only thrown in due to his popularity among girls of that age). The original story stated the girls wanted to live with Slenderman. They believed his mansion was in a remoted wooded area and they wanted to join him. The Slenderman videos are very dark and I find it EXTREMELY ODD that 12 yo girls have a fantasy of leaving home and living in the woods with the boogie man. There was a time I wanted to leave home because my mother was mean to me. It was not a long drawn out period -- there weren't any mutilated dolls or weird drawings etc in my closet. I didn't think I would go live in the forest without food or comforts.

IMO their preferences do indicate something -- like mental illness.

 

[Softail]

OMG! The news is showing clips of the girls from the 9 hour police interrogations! Bizarre! I'll see if I can find a link.

 

[angelainwi]

Here is the link

http://www.wisn.com/news/exclusive-...it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=wisn12news

 

[Softail]

Video at link

Interrogation tapes in Slender Man stabbing released

http://www.wisn.com/news/interrogation-tapes-in-slender-man-stabbing-released/31367720

 

[ICS]

I really didn't expect so much information to be released at any point in this case - let alone before the defendants have even entered a plea. Video and audio of the police interviews with the suspects? Pictures of evidence gathered?

In my humble opinion it simply isn't true that there were no red flags in the case of MG:

- She had already come to the attention of the school authorities and her parents due to the sledgehammer/mallet incident long before this happened
- She was known for being "weird" to the point that people avoided her:

“I met her in kindergarten. She was cool until fourth grade when she acted weirdish,” said the classmate. “As she talked about more suicidal things and she was, ‘Slenderman was coming to get all of us.’ She was a part of Slenderman’s tribe or something.”

The classmate says she once saw Morgan with a sledgehammer.

“I remember her holding it and saying that this is a weapon and I can do anything with it. I kind of stayed my distance when she showed me the sledgehammer.”

(Source: http://fox6now.com/2014/06/04/she-was-cool-until-4th-grade-classmate-talks-about-stabbing-suspect/)

Student: "The girl that got stabbed survived if thats what you mean. & the Morgan girl, she was quite weird - my friend said she had asked her for a pee sample? & she collected bugs i've heard more than once .. I never really talked to her or hung out with her because from hearing that .. i don't think i'd feel comfortable".

(Source: http://www.reconstructyourmind.com/blog/interview-with-classmate-of-one-of-the-slender-killers)

While four schoolmates who were interviewed described the birthday girl as somewhat “odd” — sometimes drawing spooky figures and appearing aloof — they said the victim and the third girl seemed utterly ordinary, fun-loving and popular.

(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/u...s-to-cope-with-slender-man-stabbing.html?_r=0)

- The victim herself stated that she wanted to discontinue the friendship as MG had become "scarier and scarier and weirder and weirder". (It's really not clear why the victim agreed to go to the sleepover, but I suspect that MG was able to manipulate her very skilfully):

Waukesha Police Detective Shelly Fisher testified that when she interviewed the victim in the hospital, she recounted how she had wanted to end her friendship with Geyser because the girl had become obsessed with Slender Man and was getting “scarier and scarier and weirder and weirder.” Fisher said the victim told her that Geyser would send her emails telling her horror characters were going to kill her.

(Source: http://fox11online.com/2015/02/16/attorney-girl-accused-in-stabbing-belongs-in-juvenile-court/)

There really isn't any evidence that MG's parents were any more distracted or less loving than any other parents. I assume the goth-themed stuff is more of a tongue-in-cheek lifestyle thing. Maybe they had once been members of a repressive church and that was their way of expressing their "escape". But I do think that MG was aware that she needed to keep be circumspect about her activities and had a paranoia about bad things happening if she was found out. Her parents apparently knew nothing of the Barbies, the drawings or the lists.

I'd say that she clearly knew that she was potentially dangerous. There is evidence of an internal battle going on before the event, and she stated to police that she hoped she would be caught and locked up before she harmed anyone. It's not clear if that was due to concern about potential victims or her own loss of liberty.

Her choices seem to be either an insanity plea or getting the charge changed to attempted second-degree homicide due to the belief that she was acting in the defense of herself and her family (from Slender Man). Insanity pleas are almost always unsuccessful, and if it were, she could still be locked up for AT LEAST the same time as she would have been otherwise. Getting the charge changed to second-degree would require the case to be waived back to juvenile court, in which case she would be released at no later than age 25.

I think AW is screwed. She is going to have a very hard time persuading anyone (in the absence of insanity) that she believed that she and her family were in danger. MG has the diagnosis and the documentary evidence - AW does not. More than anyone else, she had the opportunity to prevent the attack from happening on multiple occasions, starting when MG first mentioned killing someone up until any point before the stabbing occurred.

MG really believes in Slender Man and I think AW really WANTED to believe in Slender Man or some kind of "otherness" as an escape from her own demons. There's no doubt that MG made it pretty darned convincing for her with her absolute certainty that went way beyond play acting due to her psychosis. AW was pretty active online, and although Slender Man (and Creepy Pasta) was a feature of her postings, it was not a major one: she was more vocal about Ninja Turtles, Transformers and other stuff.

It also transpired that AW admitted to hitting the victim (and apologizing when MG wasn't around). It seems like both girls were trying to "diminish" the victim in various ways (the victims mother spoke of frequent disagreements and MG becoming controlling), perhaps to make it "OK" in their minds to kill her. I think the victim must have been particularly trusting and naive... but that shouldn't be abnormal for an 11/12 year old!!

One thing that hasn't surfaced yet is an "Aha!" regarding a mundane and believable motive such as jealousy or bullying behavior. I would have thought that would have been presented by the state at the Probable Cause hearing, but it wasn't. That would make the judge have to consider a precedent-setting judgment that belief in and fear of a mythical entity is a reasonable excuse for attempting to kill someone. Seems unlikely to me.

 

[ICS]

Another 20/20 devoted to this story tonight:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlin...2020-airs-friday-february-20-10-pm-et-on-abc/