A Wisconsin judge has sentenced 15-year-old Morgan Geyser to a maximum of 40 years in a mental hospital for her role in the stabbing of classmate Payton Leutner in 2014. Judge Michael Bohren explains in his ruling that Geyser "remains a risk to hurt herself or others."
Geyser and Anissa Weier were 12 years old when they lured Leutner into the woods at a park and stabbed her 19 times to appease the fictional character Slender Man. Leutner was able to crawl her way out of the woods and seek help from a passing bicyclist. Prior to the sentence, a tearful Geyser spoke briefly, saying she apologized to Leutner who survived the attack.
Dr. Brooke Lundbohm argued before the ruling that Geyser was still a danger to herself and those around her, adding that she reportedly heard voices as recently as September. Dr. Lundbohm suggested that Geyser remained in treatment at a state mental health facility, even though her mental health had improved. Two other doctors who examined her recommended that Geyser get moved to a less restrictive facility which would allow her to be with people her age and possibly go outside with supervision.
Weier, Geyser's accomplice in the crime, was sentenced to 25 years in a mental hospital back in December.
