Families distraught at news that Slender Man stabber is moving to their city after being freed

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

News that the Slender Man stabber will be moving to a quaint Wisconsin suburb after being released from a psychiatric facility has outraged residents of the community the killer will soon call home.
Morgan Geyser, 23, is set to move from a psychiatric hospital in Oshkosh to a group home in Sun Prairie, near Madison, after a judge ordered her release earlier this year.
Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured classmate Payton Leutner into the woods in Waukesha and stabbed her 19 times as a sacrifice to the eerie fictional character in 2014. All three of the girls were 12 at the time.
Weier and Geyser were both found not guilty of the attempted killing by reason of mental disease or defect.
Now, Sun Prairie locals are terrified for the arrival of their new neighbor, with some residents even looking to move elsewhere.
Mother Gabrielle Alturk, who has lived in Sun Prairie for eight years, told WMTV that the area always felt safe and she would let her 13-year-old child explore the city alongside friends without adult supervision.
She is worried about what Geyser's arrival means for the safety and security of Sun Prairie's residents.
'The community, that I know of, is extremely concerned because, you know, she was a kid when she planned a premeditated, cold calculated murder,' Alturk said.
During the vicious attack in 2014, Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier cheered on the cold-hearted act of violence before leaving the victim to die. Leutner miraculously survived.
'It's horrible' Alturk continued. 'We're afraid. We don't know where she's going to be; that's the worst part. This is a safe community, this is a community filled with children.'
Geyser's attorney has said that the 23–year–old will have to wear a GPS monitor so her location will be known at all times.
'People should be aware of what is going on in their community, but people have to be released somewhere, and so if you permit cities to object, then you'd have everybody objecting and you'd never release people,' said Geyser's attorney, Anthony Cotton.
Sun Prairie city attorney Kathleen McDaniel told WISN that residents would be 'outraged' by the decision to bring Geyser into the community.
'Our residents, if they find out about this, will be outraged. And they understand that the plan is confidential. But unfortunately, due to the notoriety of this case, I think if our residents see Ms. Geyser outside of the home or taking a walk in the neighborhood with supervision, they will be aware of who she is,' McDaniel said.
Geyser's attorney argued that the Sun Prairie group home will have more resources and treatments for her to transition back into the community.
'I think what everybody wants is that she will readjust to society. She's been in custody for 10 years now... Imagine being 12 years old and now in your early 20s and you've never left confinement. It's horrible. So this facility really will allow her to grow as a person and I think be as a safer and better member of the community,' Cotton said.
Geyser, left, stabbed Payton Leutner across her arms, legs and torso, hitting major arteries and severing her diaphragm. Geyser did this while Anissa Weier, right, egged her on
Authorities have insisted that when Geyser does arrive, they're prepared to keep Sun Prairie's population safe.
'We understand why that type of release would raise concerns amongst our community,' Sun Prairie Assistant Police Chief Ryan Cox told WMTV.
'But your police department is absolutely prepared for it. We have all the information that we need in order to respond accordingly.'
Geyser's release from the psychiatric hospital had been postponed several times. In April, the Leutner family flagged their concerns about Geyser's group home being just eight miles from their house.
Weier and Geyser had conspired for months to slaughter Leutner in the name of the horror character Slender Man.
Geyser and Weier were charged in adult court with first–degree attempted intentional homicide.
Weier had pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of attempted second–degree intentional homicide as a party to a crime, but the jury found her to be not guilty by mental disease or defect in 2017.
She was sentenced to 25 years in a mental hospital but was granted release in 2021 after agreeing to live with her father and to wear a GPS monitor.
Geyser, who has schizophrenia, pleaded guilty to first–degree murder, but as part of her plea deal, was convicted but found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in 2018.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren, who has since retired, had committed her to a psychiatric hospital for 40 years – a sentence of which she only served about 25 percent.
Circuit Judge Scott Wagner, who made the ruling in mid–July, did not release any further details about the decision to let Geyser go.
In January, Bohren said Geyser could be released after three experts testified that she was making progress battling her mental illness.
During the same hearing, Geyser also came out as transgender, but female pronouns have continued to be used for court consistency, explained Dr. Brooke Lundbohm, who evaluated Geyser.