The girls are charged as adults with attempted first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the May 2014 attack, which prosecutors say they plotted for months to please “Slender Man”, a fictional character they read about online.
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Attorneys for the two 13-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, wanted the cases transferred to juvenile court, where the girls could be held for only five years. The judge will make a ruling on Monday whether the the girls – now both 13-years-old – should be tried as adults, or be moved to juvenile court.
Bohren, due to rule Monday, faces thorny questions about how young is too young to face adult consequences for crimes.
She was found by a cyclist crawling from the woods where she was attacked with stab wounds to her arms, legs and torso. He also said he anxious about the girls being released without proper supervision, citing protection of the community at large.
“I think potentially this could overwhelm any conservation effort we could employ to try to protect this last remaining population”, said Doug Blodgett, a biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife who has been studying the state’s rattlesnake population for 15 years.
They told investigators they had stabbed their victim in “dedication” to Slenderman, a fictional horror website character. Police captured the two attackers later that day while they were en route to Nicolet National Forest, where they believed Slender Man lived in a mansion.
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, now both 13, were 12 years old at the time of the crime. However in the juvenile system the main focus will be on rehabilitation and not on punishment.
Bohren refused to find the statutes unconstitutional on Thursday, writing that juveniles aren’t as culpable for their actions as adults but that doesn’t exempt them from adult sentences. They could face 65 years in prison if they’re convicted as adults. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
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