WAUKESHA, Wis. — Morgan Geyser, one of the two girls involved in the 2012 Slender Man stabbing case, is asking a court to grant her conditional release for the fifth time.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Morgan Geyser's attorney files new petition for conditional release
Geyser appeared via Zoom in a Waukesha County Court Thursday for a hearing on her petition for conditional release from a state mental health facility, 12 years after she and Anissa Weier pleaded guilty to brutally stabbing their classmate when they were 12 years old.
The attack was carried out to please the fictional character known as Slender Man.
Geyser was sentenced to a mental health facility following the stabbing. Last year, she was granted release to a group home, but she cut off her GPS monitor and fled to the Chicago area, where she was arrested. She was then returned to the mental health facility.
Three doctors will now evaluate Geyser after she asked the court to be given conditional release again.
Her attorney, Anthony Cotton, described her decision to leave the group home last year in blunt terms.
"Stupid, impulsive, shortsighted, but not dangerous," Cotton said.
Cotton said those final words — "not dangerous" — will ultimately decide what happens next for Geyser.
A recent state appeals court ruling may work in Geyser's favor. The court ruled that a person cannot be sent back to a mental institution simply for violating a condition of release, and that there must be clear and convincing evidence the person is a danger to others.
When asked whether the ruling makes it easier for Geyser to get out, Cotton said it does.
"It is, it is easier, because the Supreme Court made clear is the only way you can confine someone to a locked institution is if they are a danger to others," Cotton said.
Waukesha County prosecutor Abbey Nickolie said the state is watching the evaluation process closely.
"The state is going to be waiting for the evaluation from all three doctors," Nickolie said.
Nickolie also pointed to Geyser's conduct last year as a concern.
"The state has some concerns on the decision-making process that Ms. Geyser went through, kind of blatantly violating the rules, cutting the bracelet off and leaving the placement she was in," Nickolie said.
Nickolie added that she wants to know how the doctors assess Geyser's current stability.
"I'm very, very interested in seeing how stable these doctors believe she is now," Nickolie said.
Nickolie also suggested the possibility of more time in a secure setting before another conditional release is attempted.
Geyser will remain at a state mental institution in Winnebago while she is evaluated by the doctors. She is due back in court in November to hear their findings.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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