March 13--The two girls charged with trying to kill a classmate in a plot allegedly inspired by the fictional character "Slender Man" must stand trial as adults, a judge ruled Friday.
Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, both 12 at the time of the attack, face attempted murder charges in the May 31, 2014, attack in Waukesha, Wis. The pair are believed to have lured a classmate into the woods to play hide-and-seek after inviting her to a sleepover. The girl was stabbed 19 times.
Waukesha police said one of the girls held down the victim while the other stabbed her in the arms, legs and torso. The victim, whose name has not been released, was saved by a passing bicyclist. She was also 12 at the time.
The plot was months in the making, police said, and apparently inspired by Slender Man -- a lanky figure with a blank face who is said to show up in the background of photos from haunted places. Weier and Geyser thought they needed to kill someone in order to win the creature's favor, authorities said.
"The bad part of me wanted her to die. The good part of me wanted her to live," police said Weier told them.
Weier believed so fervently in Slender Man that she thought she would become one of his proxies and never go home after the attack, according to the criminal complaint. She placed a picture of her family in her backpack so she wouldn't forget them.
Both Weier and Geyser's attorneys have requested hearings to move the girls' cases back to juvenile court. The judge, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren, granted their requests. The hearings are slated for May and June.
The girls' attorneys did not immediately return requests for comment.
