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One Defendant In Slenderman-Inspired Stabbing Pleads Guilty To Lesser Charge
One of the two teenage girls charged with the 2014 stabbing of a classmate in Wisconsin has pleaded guilty. The girls charged with the attempted murder say they were told to go through with the stabbing of classmate Payton Leutner by Slenderman, a fictional horror character that has been depicted in everything from internet art to video games. The attempted murder was the subject of a 2017 documentary on HBO titled Beware the Slenderman.
Anissa Weier, 15, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree homicide as a party to a crime, with use of a deadly weapon. This is a lesser charge when compared to the initial charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide. However, the case doesn't end with this plea. Next month, when the trial begins, the discussion will be centered on whether or not Weier is legally responsible for her actions, or if she is mentally unfit. If she is found guilty, she could serve up to 10 years in prison. If she is found not guilty due to mental illness, she could instead be sentenced to three years in a mental hospital.
In her statement, Weier said that she felt that if she didn't go through with the killing of Leutner, that Slenderman would kill her and her family. Weier and co-defendant Morgan Geyser were 12 years old when the attack took place. Geyser has previously pleaded not guilty due to mental disease – a plea Weier also initially entered prior to this new plea.
Weier's trial is set to begin on September 11.
[Source: Associated Press]
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