WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A woman from Wisconsin, Morgan Geyser, is once again seeking to be released from a psychiatric hospital where she has been confined for over a decade. Geyser, now 22, has submitted a petition to Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren requesting her discharge from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. This marks her third attempt in the past two years to gain her freedom.
Geyser previously filed a petition in 2022 but withdrew it just two months later. Her second request was denied by Judge Bohren earlier this year in April, as he concluded that she continues to pose a risk to the community.
In 2014, when Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier were just 12 years old, they committed a shocking crime that left their classmate Payton Leutner seriously injured. Luring her to a park in Waukesha after a sleepover, Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier encouraged the act. Remarkably, Leutner survived the brutal attack.
The motivation behind their actions was rooted in a disturbing belief: the girls claimed they wished to become servants of the fictional horror character Slender Man. They feared that failing to carry out the stabbing would lead to harm befalling their families.
As a result of her actions, Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide and was committed to a psychiatric facility due to her mental health issues. Her accomplice, Weier, faced similar charges, pleading guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide and also being placed in a psychiatric center. In 2021, Weier was granted release and permitted to live with her father, under the condition that she wear a GPS monitor.
As of Friday morning, Geyser’s attorney, Anthony Cotton, had not responded to inquiries concerning her latest petition for release.
