Slender Man defendant Morgan Geyser's conditional release put on hold pending new hearing
A motion hearing will be held Thursday to determine whether Geyser, now 22, can move out of the Winnebago Mental Health Institute as was decided at a January hearing, when Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren concurred with three medical experts that a conditional release was warranted.
That changed Friday, Feb. 28, when Bohren determined that there was probable cause to now deny Geyser's release into a transitional facility.
In 2017, Geyser was found not guilty by reason of mental defect in the stabbing of her 12-year-old friend Payton Leutner in 2014. Bohren later issued a four-decade commitment order for treatment. Geyser had petitioned three previous times for conditional release, citing her progress in treatment at the Oshkosh facility. Geyser gained support from ongoing caregivers this year in a reversal of earlier mental health evaluations.
The full details prompting the hearing on Feb. 28 aren't known. That's because the court sealed a petition by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Geyser's attorney Tony Cotton and Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie both revealed some elements of the petition filed by Wisconsin Department of Health Services officials.
The new concerns centered around Geyser's contact with an older man and books she has read. It's not clear what books have drawn concern or why.
Geyser's failure to disclose certain information tied to both concerns were a factor in the petition to reconsider her conditional release. Thursday's hearing is expected to include testimony and reports from the same medical evaluators to discuss the new information.
"Their theory that was discussed in court is that Morgan has read certain books which they believe are concerning," Cotton said in an emailed response to the Journal Sentinel Monday. "It's worth noting that Morgan's reading has never been restricted by the treatment team at Winnebago and any information the release planning committee has received has come from Morgan directly."
As for her contact with the unnamed man, "Morgan herself asked for a no contact with this person," Cotton added.
Before the petition, Geyser was scheduled for a March 4 hearing to approve the conditional release plan. That hearing was nixed as a result of the DHS petition, and a new review hearing has been scheduled for March 6.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Morgan Geyser conditional release on hold in Slender Man case update
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
11-08-2025
- Forbes
Vikings' Dallas Turner Victim Of Bank Imposter Scam
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - APRIL 25: Dallas Turner poses after being selected 17th overall by the Minnesota Vikings during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza on April 25, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by) Getty Images Earlier this year, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner fell prey to an imposter scam when he received a phone call from a scammer posing as an employee of JP Morgan Chase, his bank, informing him that someone had tried to impersonate him at a JP Morgan Chase branch in Arizona and was trying to wire funds from Turner's account. He was then told that to protect his money he needed to immediately wire it to two different accounts at two different Chase banks in Minnesota, which Turner did, transferring $240,000 before he realized after speaking with a family member that he had been scammed. Minnesota police are still investigating the crime. But this is not an isolated incident. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) American consumers lost $12.5 billion to fraud last year a 25% increase over the previous year with investment fraud accounting for $5.7 billion of reported losses in 2024. However, imposter scams were the second highest category of scams with reported losses of $2.95 billion. Imposter scams where the scammers pose as a government employee, such as with the IRS or a company with which you do business such as your bank are, unfortunately, often very successful in stealing your money. They generally convince you that there is an emergency that requires you to provide personal information, pay them money directly or as was the case with Dallas Turner, send money to designated accounts that you are told will hold your money on your behalf to protect your funds. While Turner was initially contacted by phone, according to the FTC, imposter scams primarily originate through text messages with bank text message imposter scams being the most reported text message scam. Phony text messages that appear to come from your bank can be particularly problematic if you have signed up to receive text message alerts from your bank. Whenever you receive a text message you can never be sure who is really sending it to you. Using a technique called "spoofing" the scammer can make the number of the sender of the text appear to be the same number as that of your bank. Making matters worse, this spoofed number text message may appear in a legitimate thread of text messages from your bank due to how messaging apps group conversations. Messaging apps like iMessage or Android Messages often group texts by sender ID not by the actual source of the message so if the scammers spoofed the number, it can appear in a legitimate thread of your bank. The best course of action when you receive such a text message, if you have a concern that it may be legitimate, is to merely independently contact your bank to determine whether or not the text message was a scam, but be careful that you do not misdial the telephone number of your bank as some scammers purchase phone numbers similar to those of legitimate banks hoping that they will receive calls from unwary consumers who may have merely misdialed the telephone number of their bank. Some phony bank text message scams ask you to provide your username, password and account information. Legitimate banks do not call, text or email their customers asking for personal information. Always be skeptical of anyone asking for such information. Of course, if you receive a text message that appears to come from a bank at which you do not have an account, you can be confident it is a scam. Another step you should take to prevent your account from being taken over even if someone manages to get your username and password is to set up dual factor authentication on your bank account. The biggest red flag in this type of scam is to remember that no bank will ever under any circumstances direct you to withdraw your funds and put them into another account. Finally, it is a good idea to sign up to receive legitimate text alerts from your bank which can be customized for your own particular needs.
Yahoo
02-08-2025
- Yahoo
Slender Man Killer Free From Mental Health Institute After Judge Signs Off on Conditional Release
Former tween murderer Morgan Geyser is being released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh after being locked away for over 10 years for brutally knifing and nearly killing her pal to please the mythical internet character Slender Man. Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner signed off on the conditional release of the now 23-year-old, despite strong objections by the victim's parents to keep her committed, per the The Associated Press. A team of three doctors supported Geyser being discharged, believing she's finally gotten a handle on her mental health, but the mother of victim Payton Leutner complained that the young woman's designated group home was only eight miles from their home. The discharge plan was later revised by the state's Department of Health Services, paving the way for a supervised release that requires Geyser to wear a GPS monitor at all times. 'I do not have any comment at this time, and I appreciate the phone call though,' Payton's father, Joe Leutner, tells the National Enquirer. As the Enquirer previously reported, twisted terrors Geyser and Anissa Weier were just 12 years old in 2014 when they lured classmate Payton into a wooded area near Waukesha and brutally stabbed her 19 times — to please the supernatural horror creature Slender Man, depicted in fictional tales as a tall, skinny humanoid with a featureless white head and face. Payton was left for dead but miraculously survived by crawling out of the woods and flagging down a passing bicyclist. Geyser and Weier were found not guilty of attempted homicide because of mental illness. Weier was released from the loony bin in 2021 and will be monitored under court supervision until she's 37.
Bloomberg
23-07-2025
- Bloomberg
Morgan Stanley Facing Finra Probe on Client Vetting: WSJ
Morgan Stanley is being probed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority over its vetting of clients for the risk of money laundering from October 2021 through September 2024, according to the Wall Street Journal. Nicholas Comfort reports on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
