A Wisconsin woman who nearly killed her classmate years ago to satisfy the horror entity Slender Man has been granted release from a psychiatric hospital. Morgan Geyser, who has spent the past seven years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, is now set to be released as planned, following a decision by Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren on Thursday.
In January, Judge Bohren had already ruled for Geyser’s release since state and county health officials had drawn up a community supervision and housing plan. But just ahead of the 60-day deadline for filing, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services expressed concerns and wanted to retain Geyser in custody. They cited such concerns as Geyser’s encounter with a murder memorabilia collector man and her reading of “Rent Boy,” a murder and organ trafficking book. Furthermore, it was reported that she had sent him a drawing of a severed head and an intimate postcard.
Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie issued the warning during a hearing, referring to these actions as “red flags,” and claimed that Geyser’s behavior indicated potential risks. Geyser’s defense lawyer, Tony Cotton, strongly objected to the state’s plea, arguing that she did nothing wrong. He added that hospital staff tracked Geyser’s reading activities and that she cut off contact with the memorabilia collector after learning that he was selling her drawings.
Psychologists who had already testified in January to support the release of Geyser were summoned to testify on her behalf, and they testified that she no longer posed a significant threat to public safety. Judge Bohren concurred with these experts and asserted that there was insufficient evidence for further commitment at the state’s request. He emphasized that Geyser’s interactions had been open as opposed to hidden and dismissed the risk to the public assertion. He scheduled a follow-up hearing on March 21 to finalize the arrangements for her release plan.
Morgan Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier were both implicated in a 2014 stabbing of their schoolmate, Payton Leutner. The stabbing was carried out after the girls had tried to impress Slender Man, a fictional character, and believed that they would become his slaves. Despite the seriousness of the offense, Geyser’s defense argued mental illness while committing the attack. She was committed to the psychiatric hospital for 40 years.
