Slender Man Stabbing: Judge Approves Release of Anissa Weier from Psychiatric Hospital
In a significant development in the infamous Slender Man stabbing case, a Wisconsin judge has approved the conditional release of Anissa Weier, one of the two girls convicted in the 2014 attempted murder that shocked the nation. Weier, now 19, has been held at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute since 2017, following her conviction for the attempted killing of her then-friend, Payton Leutner, in a bid to appease the fictional internet character, Slender Man.
At just 12 years old at the time of the attack, Weier was sentenced to 25 years in a psychiatric facility after being found mentally ill and pleading guilty to attempted second-degree homicide. However, after nearly four years of treatment, a judge ruled on Thursday that Weier has made substantial progress and is ready to re-enter society. Her release is to take place within 60 days and she will remain under supervision until the age of 37.
Weier explained her position in a letter obtained by WDJT-TV, writing, "I have exhausted all the resources available to me at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. If I am to become a productive member of society, I need to be a part of society.” Despite this, prosecutors argued against her release, stating she remains mentally immature and vulnerable to harmful influences. Nevertheless, the judge cited reports from her doctors, affirming that Weier is “functioning very well.”
The Slender Man stabbing, which took place on May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, gained nationwide attention. Weier and Morgan Geyser, both 12 at the time, lured their friend Leutner into the woods and stabbed her 19 times. Geyser, who wielded the knife, was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and sentenced to 40 years in a psychiatric facility after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide. Leutner survived the attack after crawling to safety, with doctors revealing one stab wound narrowly missed a major artery.
Originating from a 2009 internet meme and Photoshop contest, Slender Man is a fictional character whose lore evolved to include mind control and influence over children. Weier and Geyser believed that by killing Leutner, they would become Slender Man’s proxies and prevent him from harming their families.
Weier has since earned her high school diploma and plans to pursue college. In her letter, she expressed a desire to turn her past into something positive, saying, “I intend to give back to my community by doing good within it, and hopefully healing the wounds I’ve inflicted on a lot of people.”
As her release nears, public attention remains focused on whether Weier can successfully reintegrate and fulfill her pledge to change. The Slender Man case remains one of the most disturbing and widely discussed examples of how internet myths can influence young minds with tragic consequences.