The Slenderman Stabbing

It was just supposed to be a normal sleepover, until things went extremely sideways. On May 31st, 2014 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, two 12-year-old-girls tried murdering their friend because of a fictional supernatural “creepypasta” (creepypastas are horror-related legends that have been shared around the internet) character. They were found not guilty by mental disease or defect and committed to a mental health institution for 25-40 years to life.

The previous night, Payton spent the night at a birthday party sleepover with friends, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weler. The following morning, the three girls went to a local park where Morgan and Anissa planned on killing Payton. Payton Leutner was stabbed 19 times, one stab nearly hit her heart. This was all an attempt to appease the fictional character Slender Man, with a blade. The motive of this attempted murder was insanity/schizophrenia. While Geyser is still institutionalized at Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Weier was released under supervision until age 37. Geyser received 40 years to life in the mental health institution, and Weier was released after 7 years out of 25 given years. They were both charged with intentional homicide but at different degrees.

Due to some miracle, the victim, Payton Leutner, still lives. As of September 13, 2022, Leutner is finishing college and is “doing very well.” Payton stated, “Without the whole situation, I wouldn’t be who I am.” She has high hopes on living on and putting everything behind her in order to live normally. Surprisingly, she expressed gratitude for her traumatic experience, saying that it inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. Leutner’s family expressed disappointment at Weier’s early release but are relieved she is required to receive psychiatric treatment, agree to GPS monitoring, and avoid any contact with Leutner until at least 2039.

On the Tuesday following the stabbing, the creator of the creepypasta character Slender Man, 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.” As well as the creator of Slender Man speaking up about this unfortunate event, the administrator of the Creepypasta Wiki put out a statement 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.

During a game of hide-and-seek, the perpetrators, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, pinned down Payton Leutner and stabbed her nineteen times in the arms, legs, and torso with a five-inch-long blade. Two of the wounds were major organs; one missed a major artery of her heart by less than a millimeter, and another went through her diaphragm, cutting into her liver and stomach. Weier and Geyser lied to Leutner saying that they would get some help, but they didn’t, instead they just left her there and went on into the woods to find Slender Man. Afterwards, Leutner dragged herself to a nearby road where she was found by a cyclist who called 911 immediately.

The outcome of this situation caused an extensive debate about the role of the internet in society and its effect on children. A Waukesha Police Chief, Russell Jack, 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.” A retired agent of the FBI, John Egelhof, argued that the internet had become a “black hole” with the ability to expose children to a more sinister world. Egelhof also suggested that the best way to avoid future incidents was for parents to keep track of their children's online habits, and to educate them on the differences between right and wrong.

In conclusion, society needs to do better on monitoring children and what they look at online to prevent anything like this ever happening again.