On Friday, Judge Michael O. Bohren stated that Weier and Geyser will be tried together in an adult court starting October. 15.
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The teens, prosecutors allege, were “obsessed” with the character of Slender Man, a paranormal creature created by Eric Knudsen on the Something very bad Forums, and allegedly stabbed Leutner to appease him. If convicted, the girls could each face up to 65 years in prison.
According to the Washington Post, they believed the tall, faceless “Slender Man” would reward them by letting them live in his mansion, which they though was in Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin – 300 miles from their home.
Tony Cotton, an attorney for one of the girls, said ahead of the hearing that she would enter a plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Investigators say the two plotted for months to lure their friend into the woods after a sleepover. Authorities also said that Geyser told detectives that they wanted to become “proxies” of Slender Man, and to do so, it was “necessary” for them to kill Leutner.
Payton was stabbed 19 times but survived. They are expected to appear in court at a brief arraignment hearing Friday. The teenage suspects were trying to impress the fictional character Slender Man.
The Associated Press is not identifying the girls because an appeal may still move their cases to juvenile court. The charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide carries a maximum 45-year sentence.
WISN 12 News reporter Nick Bohr said Geyer’s attorney indicated they are considering appealing the judge’s ruling to try them as adults.
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Defense attorneys, who couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday, have argued previously that the case belongs in juvenile court, saying the adolescents suffer from mental illness and won’t get the treatment they need in the adult prison system. They have been in custody since being arrested the day of the attack.
