The two juvenile girls accused of trying to kill their classmate to appease the faceless internet meme Slender Man should be tried as adults, a Wisconsin appeals court ruled Wednesday.
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FILE – In this May 31, 2014 file photo, rescue workers take 12-year-old stabbing victim Payton Leutner to an ambulance in Waukesha, Wis.
However, the girls and their families and attorneys can appeal the ruling to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
The pair’s attorneys, however, have consistently pushed to keep the case in the juvenile system, citing the girls’ mental health issues as their primary justification, whether or not the girls’ legal teams will appeal the decision remains to be seen.
Anissa Weier, 14, and Morgan Geyser, 14, are charged with Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide for the 2014 near-fatal stabbing in Waukesha.
The 2nd District Appeals court on Wednesday affirmed a lower court’s determination that it was reasonable to try the girls as adults.
Tried as adults, they face up to 45 years in prison if they’re convicted. Attorneys for the girls did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The suspects stabbed her 19 times with a knife, just missing an artery near her heart.
Anyone 10 or older charged with first-degree attempted homicide is automatically considered an adult under Wisconsin law.
“She’s an unbelievable child”, Payton’s mother said in a 2014 interview on ABC’s 20/20. In spite of her injuries she was able to crawl to safety and eventually recover.
The girls told investigators they hoped that killing her would please Slender Man, a demon-like character they had read about in online horror stories. The girls allegedly plotted the attack for months, according to the report.
He’s said to live in a mansion in a forest.
Police captured the girls on the outskirts of the city that same day.
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An HBO documentary on the case was released in March.
