A Wisconsin jury says one of two teens charged in the 2014 Slenderman stabbing of a classmate was mentally ill when the attack happened.
The girls, who were 12-years-old at the time, were charged with attempted murder and both have been tried as adults.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren said Weier will be committed to a mental institution. If the jury had found her guilty, she could have gone to prison for 10 years.
« I know her family is relieved. It’s hard to say when you are talking about the commitment of a very young child that you are happy but of the options that were there, this is the best and the right one, » Weiser’s attorney Maura McMahon told reporters following the verdict.
McMahon said Weier will spend at least three years at a mental hospital before petition for her release. A judge could also order up to a 25-year commitment, she said.
« She would have an uphill road, » McMahon said.
During the trial, a psychologist testified that Weier developed a condition called shared delusional disorder, in which she came to share Geyser’s delusion that Slenderman was real, CNN affiliate WISN reported.
Geyser was diagnosed with schizophrenia a few months after the assault, WISN reported. She also took the prosecutors plea deal and is set to stand trial in October, according to the Wisconsin Court System website.
