Things You Should Know And Share

The Slenderman's st@bb!ng (Mvrd3r Case)

Tw: Murd3r, m3nt@l illn3s$

~~the incident~~
On May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, lured their best friend Payton Leutner into the woods and stabbed her 19 times in an attempt to become proxies of the fictional character Slender Man.

Location
Waukesha, Wisconsin

Coordinates
42.9814°N 88.2239°W

Date
May 31, 2014

Attack type
Stabbing

Weapons
Knife

Victim
Payton Leutner (survived)

Assailants
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier

The victim crawled to a road where she was found, and recovered after six days in the hospital. The perpetrators were found not guilty by mental disease or defect and committed to mental health institutions for sentences of 25 and 65 years, respectively.

~~the aftermath~~
In the aftermath of the stabbing, the Creepypasta Wiki was blocked throughout the Waukesha School District. On the Tuesday following the stabbing, Slender Man creator Eric Knudsen said: "I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act." Sloshedtrain, the administrator of the Creepypasta Wiki, said that the stabbing was an isolated incident that did not accurately represent the creepypasta community. He also stated that the Creepypasta Wiki was a literary website and that they did not condone murder or satanic rituals.

Members of the creepypasta community held a 24-hour live stream on YouTube June 13–14, 2014, to raise money for the stabbing victim. Joe Jozwowski, an administrator on a creepypasta website, said the purpose of the stream was to show that members of the community cared for the victim and did not condone real-world violence because they enjoyed fiction that contains violence.

On August 12, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday, August 13, 2014, "Purple Hearts for Healing Day" and encouraged the people of Wisconsin to wear purple on that day to honor the victim of the stabbing. He also praised the "strength and determination" exhibited by the victim during her recovery.

The city of Madison, Wisconsin, held a one-day bratwurst festival to honor the victim on August 29, several days before the victim returned to school. Hot dogs and bratwurst were sold to raise money towards the victim's medical costs. The event was run by over 250 volunteers, and raised over $70,000 for Payton Leutner.

Debate on the impact of the Internet on children Edit
The stabbing resulted in extensive debate about the role of the Internet in society and its impact on children. Russell Jack, Waukesha Police Chief, said that the stabbing "should be a wake-up call for all parents," adding that the Internet "is full of information and wonderful sites that teach and entertain," but that it "can also be full of dark and wicked things." John Egelhof, a retired agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, argued that the Internet had become a "blackhole" with the ability to expose children to a more sinister world. He suggested that the best way to avoid future incidents was for parents to keep track of their children's web habits and to educate them on the differences between right and wrong. Shira Chess, an assistant professor of mass media arts at the University of Georgia, stated that creepypasta was no more dangerous than stories about vampires or zombies. She argued that creepypasta websites were beneficial, and that they gave people the opportunity to become better writers.

Media Edit
A documentary film on the incident called Beware the Slenderman was released by HBO Films in March 2016, and was broadcast on HBO on January 23, 2017.

A season 16 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, titled "Glasgowman's Wrath," is loosely based on the event.

The Criminal Minds episode "The Tall Man" (Episode 14.05, airdate October 31, 2018) was also inspired by this story.

On October 14, 2018, a movie inspired by the Slender Man stabbing called Terror in the Woods aired on Lifetime. The film stars Ella West Jerrier, Sophia Grace McCarthy, Skylar Morgan Jones, Angela Kinsey, Drew Powell, and Carrie Hood. Christina Ricci serves as the executive producer of the film.

On March 31, 2019, another movie inspired by the Slender Man stabbing titled Mercy Black, starring Daniela Pineda, was released on Netflix with no prior announcement. Directed by Owen Egerton and produced primarily by Blumhouse Productions, it tells the story of two girls with pre-schizophrenia who attempt to murder their friend, believing that a spirit named Mercy Black will offer them a gift in return. Later, the protagonist is released from psychiatric care, and has to deal with the realistic and paranormal consequences of her actions.

On October 24, 2019, more than five years after the stabbing, Leutner, then 17, spoke to ABC's 20/20 about her experience for the first time. She spoke of her scars, saying, "I don't think much of them. They will probably go away and fade eventually". She told the interviewers that she met her attackers in fourth grade. When asked what she would say if she ever saw Geyser again, Leutner added that she would "thank" her because the attack inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.

~~info about the Assailants~~

Anissa Weier
Anissa Weier born on 10 November 2001, now 19 years old, has spent the last 3½ years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute after a jury found her not criminally responsible due to a mental disease in the stabbing that nearly killed a classmate in a sensationalized crime that gained worldwide coverage. Weier was diagnosed with a delusional disorder and a condition known as schizotypy.

Morgan Geyser
Morgan Geyser was born on May 16, 2002. That means the Slender Man suspect from Waukesha, Wisconsin, was only 12 years old when she was accused in the stabbing of a middle school classmate in the woods. Today, in October 2019, that makes Geyser 17 years old. She has previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia and oppositional defiant disorder.

Both girls were charged as adults — which is why their names can be disclosed publicly. Morgan pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide, but the judge found her not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

~~info of the victim~~

Payton Leutner
Payton Leuther born on January 1, 2002, now 17, said she is "grateful for all of the love and support" she received after friends tried killing her in the name of the fictional character "Slender Man" five years ago. Now 17, Leutner has worked hard over the last five years to heal and rebuild a normal life.

Source: Wikipedia