1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Hello! 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:18,000 Welcome back to another episode of Diagnosing a Killer, the mental breakdown. I'm Kenna and I'm Koel. 3 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:36,000 How's it going? Pretty good. Pretty good? Yeah. It's going alright. It's going alright. 4 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:42,000 That's a total lie I went to the ER the other day. Oh my god. No, it's totally fine though. I have um, 5 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:50,000 what do they call that? Br- not Britesvus. That's like tuberculous. Yeah, no, it was like uh, 6 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:58,000 Brysytus. Brysytus, yeah. In my hip and the doctor told me that I'm just old, so that's great. That's just how you are now. 7 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:06,000 That's just your hip now. Yeah. So I got shot in my behind and I did not feel nice. Gross. I'm sorry about that. 8 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:13,000 But I am- We both have the bad hips now. Yeah. We both got the hip. They both got the hip. They don't lie. They don't lie. 9 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:21,000 I gumped over on the way home today. No you didn't. You got a fucking fat ticket. What? Were you speeding? I was. 10 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:28,000 Yeah, I was going 80 and a 65 bad Ken. It was on the highway. Oh, it was on the highway. Still, I was on the left lane and I like 11 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:34,000 pretty much like almost flew past this cop and then I slowed down and he saw me. So he got like right behind me and let me up. 12 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:39,000 I was like, shh. Do you never slow down? You just stop accelerating. Well, that's what I did. I didn't like hit the brakes. 13 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:47,000 You know what I mean? But I definitely like- I saw him too late. You know what? That's my bad. I was speeding. Yeah. 14 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:53,000 I was actually listening to our podcast because I'm super vain and I was just kind of zoned out. Like I really didn't even realize how fast 15 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:59,000 I was going and then he was like, hmm, you had to hurry to get somewhere. Like where are you going? And I was like 3 o'clock in the afternoon. 16 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:07,000 No, I'm just zoned out. Just a bad driver. No. But yeah, so $230 ticket later. Oh wow. I'm not going to speed anymore. 17 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:13,000 I know you always say that I drive so fast. Yeah, I'm sorry. So we are going to get into this mente bréqui. 18 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:17,000 But before we do, would you like to give everyone our social media? If it's their first time here. 19 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:24,000 Sure. You can check us out anywhere on social media at Diagnosing a Killer, other than ex formerly known as Twitter, which is at Killer Diagnosis. 20 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:33,000 We have a PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo set up at Diagnosing a Killer. We also have that Patreon. And those include four tiers. 21 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:47,000 Tier 1 gets Adfree Mental Breakdown episodes. Tiers 2, 3, and 4 get Adfree Every Episode. And of course, Tier 3 and 4 receive that added bonus episode towards the end of the month every month. 22 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:56,000 That one's coming up really soon. And who are you covering? We are covering James Ian Holmes. The Aurora Cinema Perpetrator. 23 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,000 Well, we saw like the same person there. That was weird. Perpetrator. 24 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:06,000 And then how weird of us to say perpetrator. And they're like, Suspect or not Suspect, but criminal or whatever you want to call them. Interesting. 25 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:11,000 We're just twin telepathy. Yeah, so you guys go check out that Patreon if you want to get access to those bonus episodes. 26 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:16,000 I think there's like 12 out right now. Just takes a few minutes to sign up. Again, that's just tiers 3 and 4. 27 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:22,000 And we really appreciate the support of our current Patreon members. And I think we're going to get into this episode. I'm excited. 28 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:30,000 So, as people may or may not know, we are now changing our content warning with each other. So I will not be telling Koel the content warning right now. 29 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:37,000 I will be recording it at the end of the episode as to not give anything away. But you guys will hear your content warning right about now. 30 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:46,000 Content Warning. This episode contains depictions of depression, adolescent mental disorders, violent crimes against minors, and serious mental illness. 31 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:52,000 If this episode is not for you, we encourage you to find another one of our episodes. Remember, your mental health is very important and we love you. 32 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:57,000 Love you. Bye. I love doing that. Me too. It's so fun. 33 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:03,000 Today, we are going to be talking about the infamous Slender Man. 34 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:10,000 No. Oh, I am so excited about this. I am. I'm so excited. 35 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:18,000 The Slender Man is a fictional supernatural character that first originated as a creepypasta internet meme in 2009. 36 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:20,000 More like Slim Daddy. 37 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Eric Nudson, also known by the alias Victor Surge, is known to have created the Slender Man and posted about his existence on the forum called Something Awful. 38 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:39,000 The Slender Man is depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall, human-like figure with an all white head but no facial features. 39 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:44,000 But you have to mention the suit though, because that's what makes him big. 40 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:50,000 Absolutely. So essentially, he has a blank face, nothing there, and he's also known to wear a black suit and tie. 41 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,000 So he's real formal. No face. 42 00:04:53,000 --> 00:05:00,000 Shortly after the creation of the fictional character, many stories about the Slender Man began to emerge. 43 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:07,000 Most commonly, the stories of the Slender Man had to do with him stalking, abducting, or traumatizing people, mostly children in particular. 44 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:14,000 And I'm sure a lot of people can relate. I learned a lot about the Slender Man when I was in my late middle school, early high school years. 45 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,000 My friend Evan was obsessed with him and he would always talk about him, and I was always real scared. 46 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000 But he's a fictional character, y'all. 47 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,000 Where is he? 48 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:28,000 Since his creation, the Slender Man has become an icon in many different ways on social platforms, 49 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,000 even including being part of video games and online discussion boards. 50 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:38,000 This dark, mysterious character would go on to inspire people to create stories to scare others, 51 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:44,000 explore creepy places in search of the Slender Man, and even commit heinous crimes on his behalf. 52 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000 Oh, I got the heaves I actually did. 53 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:55,000 Because many people took the story of Slender Man and ran with it in different directions, there's really no set origin story about the tales of the Slender Man. 54 00:05:55,000 --> 00:06:00,000 However, among the different stories, some things continued to remain the same across the board. 55 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Slender Man is most commonly described as, again, being very tall and thin with unnaturally long, tentacle-like arms. 56 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:09,000 Oh, with salad fingers. 57 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:15,000 These arms, they say, can be used to extend out and grab any prey that the Slender Man wants to take, like Elastigirl. 58 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:17,000 She just stents them out. 59 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:21,000 That is weird. I didn't think about that specifically. But that must be like an adaptation, right? 60 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Yeah, well, that's what I'm saying. That's not what the cartoon maybe looks like or the, you know, character, 61 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:32,000 but the arms are kind of long-looking, so now it makes sense that people always norm can stretch all this way. 62 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Stretch arms strong. Gonna get ya. 63 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:43,000 In most of the stories, the Slender Man's face is white and featureless, but occasionally, this face has been said to appear differently to different people who claim to have witnessed it. 64 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:48,000 So like, if he sees you see him, then he makes a face or something. 65 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:54,000 Oh my god, can you imagine? It's like there's no face, and then he makes face contact, not eye contact. 66 00:06:54,000 --> 00:07:01,000 A Rorschach painting. No, I was wondering if the face looks different to each individual, which is even creepier. 67 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:07,000 Yeah, that's what I was thinking that they were saying. And then again, it's described differently by people who claim to have witnessed it. 68 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:15,000 Again, in most stories, the Slender Man is seen wearing a black suit and tie, and is typically associated with being spotted in the forest. 69 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:26,000 Furthermore, the Slender Man has been thought to be able to teleport quickly in order to grab children, and there is often talk of a quote, slender sickness, and quote, when one is in close proximity to him. 70 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:27,000 Ew. 71 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:32,000 So essentially they're like, oh, I can tell he's in the area because I'm starting to feel ill. 72 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,000 Ew. Yeah, the teleportation reminds me of Enderman from Minecraft. 73 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:38,000 They self-of him. 74 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:39,000 Yeah. 75 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:47,000 Accompanying this sickness is also a rapid onset of paranoia, nightmares, and delusions, along with nosebleeds, according to the lore. 76 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Oh, that's creepy. 77 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:58,000 Early stories of the Slender Man include him targeting young children, but some state that the Slender Man was also responsible for driving adults insane, or influencing them to commit acts on his behalf. 78 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,000 Oh, that's scarier. 79 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,000 Yeah. 80 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Especially if you're a kid. 81 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:03,000 Because Slender Men told me to do it. 82 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,000 Yeah, exactly. Is the Slender Man controlling my parents? 83 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Yeah. 84 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:08,000 Oh, that's terrifying. 85 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:15,000 Early stories would suggest that investigating the Slender Man or trying to find out where he is or more about him would cause him to reveal himself. 86 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,000 So it's like, if you go looking for him, you're more likely to see him. 87 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,000 You gotta, like, want it. 88 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,000 You gotta really want it. 89 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,000 Well, I mean, that makes sense, because the human mind wants to see what it wants to see. 90 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 Right, and you can, like, influence yourself to have hallucinations. 91 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:30,000 Yeah. 92 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:37,000 However, although some people would eventually take it upon themselves to commit a heinous act on Slender Man's behalf, the lore does not suggest that he is influencing violence, 93 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:40,000 or bodily harm, just abduction or scaring. 94 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:47,000 So, like, he takes the kids, but there's not any stories that say, like, what he does, like, if it's heinous or violent or anything. 95 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Well, it's a fear of the unknown. 96 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:49,000 Right. 97 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:55,000 A professor by the name of Shira Chess, who has studied a lot about the Slender Man, stated about this, quote, 98 00:08:55,000 --> 00:09:08,000 It is important to note that few of the retellings identify exactly what kind of monster the Slender Man might be and what his specific intentions are. These points all remain mysteriously and usefully vague, end quote. 99 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:10,000 Uhhh, usefully vague. 100 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,000 Yeah. 101 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:12,000 Like, no one knows. 102 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,000 No one knows what he does. 103 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:26,000 When the Slender Man was first created, it was posted on the Something Awful Internet forum, in which a Photoshop contest challenged people to, quote, create paranormal images, end quote. 104 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:27,000 Okay. 105 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:36,000 Eric Nudson would post two black and white images of groups of children, both in which he added the tall, thin, man-like figure wearing a black suit, like, in the background. 106 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,000 Uhhh, just watching a group of kids. 107 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Yes. 108 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:49,000 Although previous entries of Eric's included just photos, this submission would include little snippets of texts that were stated to have been written by victims of the Slender Man. 109 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:52,000 The quote under the first photograph read, quote, 110 00:09:52,000 --> 00:10:01,000 We didn't want to go. We didn't want to kill them. But its persistent silence and outstretched arms horrified and comforted us at the same time, end quote. 111 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,000 Fuck that. 112 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:10,000 Following the quote, the words were written, quote, 1983 photographer unknown, presumed dead, end quote. 113 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Eww. 114 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,000 The quote underneath the second photograph stated, quote, 115 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:25,000 One of two recovered photographs from the Sterling City Library blaze, notable for being taken the day which 14 children vanished and for what is referred to as the Slender Man. 116 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:35,000 Deformity cited as film defects by officials. Fire at library occurred one week later. Actual photograph compensated as evidence, end quote. 117 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,000 So there was like a fire at this library? 118 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:45,000 That's what the, like, almost like caption of the photo says, but I'm not sure how true that is. I didn't really look that up. 119 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:53,000 This photo was signed, quote, 1986 photographer, Mary Thomas, missing since June 13th, 1986, end quote. 120 00:10:53,000 --> 00:11:10,000 That's like a whole mystery thing. When we were younger in like high school, maybe fresh out of high school, and YouTube really became a thing, there's all these like hidden meaning videos that came out back then, and a friend of mine was super into them. 121 00:11:10,000 --> 00:11:23,000 And there would be like an interactive space. So someone would post a video of them sitting on a beach and they bury something in the sand. 122 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:32,000 Well, you could actually go out if you knew where that location was and find the very thing and then you start a video and showing where you put something. 123 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,000 And then someone finds it's like geo catching. 124 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,000 Yeah, like I was just gonna say that. 125 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:42,000 And so it's really interesting that there's this world being created around Splendor Man, that's what I'm saying. So it doesn't necessarily all have to be true. 126 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:43,000 Yeah. 127 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:47,000 It's all fiction, but the immersion of it is real. 128 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,000 Yeah, it's almost like a docu, not a docu series, like a fantasy series or like a movie, you know? 129 00:11:56,000 --> 00:12:01,000 You're probably already aware that craft beers have exploded in popularity over the past decade. 130 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:08,000 But what you might not know is that there are thousands of awesome craft beers being produced by these new micro breweries every day. 131 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:17,000 With Craft Beer Club, each order will showcase two breweries from different regions in the US and includes four beer styles with a brand new box with each shipment. 132 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:24,000 You will also receive publications that detail the history about the featured breweries, tasting notes, pairing options, and maybe even a little trivia. 133 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:33,000 Click on our link in the show notes and receive an exclusive offer today with Craft Beer Club. 134 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Due to the captions on these photos, people were left to their own interpretations, giving way for many different stories to be created from the images. 135 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:50,000 According to Eric Nudson, he was inspired to create the character of Slenderman primarily by quote, that insidious beast, end quote, by Zach Parsons. 136 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Stephen King's The Mist, reports of shadow people and the mad gasser of Mattoon. 137 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:01,000 Just like he got his inspiration from a lot of places and kind of just like made one character based on all of that. 138 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:10,000 Eric's intention was quote, to formulate something whose motivations can barely be comprehended and which caused unease and terror in a general population. 139 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:11,000 End quote. 140 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:12,000 Because like what does it want? 141 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,000 Yeah. 142 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:14,000 What is it doing? 143 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:15,000 What does it do? 144 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:16,000 Where did it come from? 145 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:17,000 Why? 146 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,000 I don't know. 147 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:19,000 Why is this a thing? 148 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:31,000 Due to the forum that Slenderman was posted on and the growing population of the internet at the time, Slenderman quickly became viral, spawning numerous works of fan art, cosplay, and horror stories that spread from site to site. 149 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,000 So yes, you're right. 150 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,000 Like it literally just like took off running. 151 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:41,000 People would begin posting videos of their alleged encounters with Slenderman, but these are mostly vague and hard to make out. 152 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:51,000 Most videos, as I remember, showed the point of view of people walking through the woods at night and the camera either glitching or dropping when the quote, citing, happened. 153 00:13:51,000 --> 00:14:01,000 Although there are many differing accounts of Slenderman, the interest would grow and grow, with many people leaning into the fictional character and becoming scared that he may be real. 154 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:12,000 In 2012, the Slenderman was adapted into a video game entitled Slender the Eight Pages, and the official website would almost immediately crash after too many people tried to download the game. 155 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:13,000 I'm gonna do it right now. 156 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,000 Let's just go back and look. 157 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:23,000 The sequel to this game, Slender the Arrival, would launch in 2013, and several independent films would also be released about the Slenderman. 158 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:31,000 Unfortunately, with the interest in Slenderman growing, the development of individuals who began almost worshiping him also grew. 159 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,000 This is wild. 160 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:41,000 Anisa Weir was born on November 10, 2001, in Wakesha, Wisconsin, to Bill and Kristie Weir. 161 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:48,000 Her childhood and upbringing were relatively typical according to sources, but she was known as somewhat of an outsider at school. 162 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:57,000 When she was in elementary school, Anisa would meet a girl by the name of Morgan, and the two would bond over fantasy stories, internet legends, and supernatural tales. 163 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:03,000 To Morgan, she was good friends with Anisa, but to Anisa, the two were inseparable. 164 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:10,000 Morgan Geyser was born on May 16, 2002, to Angie and Matt Geyser in Wakesha, Wisconsin. 165 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:17,000 According to her parents, Morgan began to exhibit some disturbing signs of lacking empathy at a really young age. 166 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:24,000 In fact, it was when Morgan saw the movie Bambi for the very first time that her parents realized something may be off. 167 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,000 Angie Geyser recalled this moment, quote, 168 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:31,000 We were so worried to watch it with her because we thought she was going to be so upset when the mother died. 169 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:36,000 But the mother died and Morgan just said, run Bambi, run, get out of there, save yourself. 170 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,000 She wasn't sad about it, end quote. 171 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:44,000 However, Morgan's parents would also describe their child in wonderful ways growing up. 172 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:47,000 Angie stated about Morgan's younger years, quote, 173 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,000 Morgan loved animals and was always gentle and kind. 174 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:55,000 She enjoyed reading, writing, drawing, anime, and playing with her American girl dolls. 175 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,000 She was an excellent student and her teachers always loved having her in class. 176 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:03,000 She used to stay after school to help her English teacher clean up the classroom. 177 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:07,000 She was always a quirky kid who marched to the beat of her own drum. 178 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,000 She was intensely creative and had a silly sense of humor. 179 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:13,000 She was a loving and affectionate member of our family, end quote. 180 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:15,000 Really great things to say about someone. 181 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:20,000 Yeah, but it all still seems like, not to dog on the mom at all, but it definitely seems like, 182 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:23,000 well, there is nothing wrong with her. She was great with academics. 183 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:28,000 She was great, you know, I mean, essentially nothing to having to do with emotions. 184 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:31,000 Everything to do with processes or routines. 185 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:32,000 That's true. 186 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:39,000 When Morgan was in the fourth grade, she would meet and become friends with another girl in her grade named Peyton Lutner. 187 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,000 Peyton describes the day that she met Morgan, quote, 188 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:47,000 she was sitting all by herself and I didn't think anyone should have to sit by themselves, end quote. 189 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:54,000 Peyton Lutner was born on February 13, 2002 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to parents Joe and Stacy Lutner. 190 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:59,000 When Peyton met Morgan in the fourth grade, the two girls would instantly hit it off. 191 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:03,000 Morgan would describe Peyton or her nickname Bella as, quote, 192 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,000 my only friend for a long time, end quote. 193 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:08,000 While Peyton would say it about Morgan, quote, 194 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,000 she was funny. 195 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,000 She had a lot of jokes to tell. 196 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:16,000 She was great at drawing and her imagination always kept things fun, end quote. 197 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:22,000 Once Morgan met Anissa in the sixth grade, however, her friendship with Peyton began to get pushed to the side. 198 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:30,000 Being really into fantasy and paranormal stories, Morgan and Anissa quickly began engaging in a lot of talk and interest in The Slender Man. 199 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:38,000 This interest would quickly become an obsession, and Morgan and Anissa would begin to act as if they were worshiping the fictional character. 200 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,000 Peyton began to grow uncomfortable about the other girls obsession, stating that, quote, 201 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,000 it scared me and that I didn't like it, end quote. 202 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:50,000 She would further express her uncomfortability to Morgan, who she described as, quote, 203 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:54,000 really liking it as in Slender Man and thought it was real, end quote. 204 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,000 I mean, I guess like every kid goes through a phase, right? 205 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,000 So it's like, how seriously do you take this as a parent? 206 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,000 Yeah, exactly. It's like, there's posters on the wall. 207 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,000 It's like, okay, well, I was into some dork stuff. 208 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,000 Yeah, spooky stories. 209 00:18:06,000 --> 00:18:07,000 Yeah, goosebumps. 210 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,000 How harmful can spooky stories be? 211 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:15,000 Yeah. Furthermore, Peyton was also not the biggest fan of Anissa after meeting her. 212 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:20,000 She thought that Anissa was a cruel person and was jealous that Morgan had any other friends besides her. 213 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,000 Hmm. 214 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:26,000 However, Peyton did not express this to Morgan, and she truly believed that everybody deserved to have a friend, 215 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,000 so she kept quiet about her true feelings of Anissa. 216 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:30,000 She's a nice girl. 217 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:31,000 Yeah. 218 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:37,000 As Anissa and Morgan fell deeper into the Slender Man rabbit hole, Morgan would begin referring to herself as, quote, 219 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:41,000 creepy and, quote, a mental case, and quote, and letters written to Anissa. 220 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:43,000 She referred to herself that way? 221 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,000 Yes, Morgan to herself, yeah. 222 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Meanwhile, Anissa was dealing with the fallout from her parents' recent divorce, 223 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,000 and she began falling into a deep depression over it. 224 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:54,000 That's gotta be rough at that age, too. 225 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,000 Yeah, they're like, like 11 at this point. 226 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:00,000 Yeah, 11, 12-ish. You're already going through this like angsty teen phase. 227 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:01,000 Mm-hmm. 228 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:06,000 Anissa and Morgan both found an odd sort of comfort in the dark fantasies they were obsessing over. 229 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:10,000 During this time, knowing that Peyton was uncomfortable with the Slender Man thing, 230 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:15,000 the two would also constantly show her photos just to scare her, which is me. 231 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:21,000 Over a few months, Morgan and Anissa would begin to believe that they were more attached to Slender Man than most, 232 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:25,000 and this would quickly turn into feelings that they were his, quote, proxies, 233 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:30,000 and, quote, whose purpose would be to carry out acts for Slender Man. 234 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:36,000 Unbeknownst to Peyton, the two girls that she was hanging out with had been planning to do the work of Slender Man 235 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:40,000 and murder her as a sacrifice to him. 236 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:44,000 Anissa and Morgan had been planning the sacrifice of Peyton for months prior, 237 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:49,000 even whispering about it in public and using code words like, quote, 238 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:55,000 tracker, end quote, when talking about the knife, end quote, itch, end quote, when discussing the actual killing. 239 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:56,000 Yeah. 240 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:58,000 Like, oh, I got a really bad itch, you know, things like that. 241 00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,000 Ooh. 242 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:00,000 Yeah. 243 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:01,000 That's so messed up. 244 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,000 Like, why code it? 245 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:04,000 Yeah. 246 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:05,000 I mean, why even say it? 247 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,000 Yeah, I mean, why even... 248 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,000 They want to be able to get away with saying it in public. 249 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,000 Yeah. 250 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,000 That's why. 251 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,000 Yeah. 252 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:12,000 I guess. 253 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,000 The girls believed that the sacrifice of Peyton would appease Slender Man 254 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,000 and that he would let them live at his house as a reward for their good deed. 255 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:19,000 He has a house? 256 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:20,000 Apparently. 257 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:21,000 I thought he just lives in the woods. 258 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,000 One of the lords, I guess, he has a house. 259 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,000 He just stands next to trees. 260 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:25,000 That's all he does. 261 00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,000 He just creeps around. 262 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:31,000 The girls would also begin to believe that if they did not go through with the killing, 263 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,000 Slender Man would kill their families in revenge. 264 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,000 It's like folly adieu. 265 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:42,000 I was going to say, this is like pretty detailed for just having believed a story, you know? 266 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:48,000 On May 30th, 2014, Morgan Geyser had just finished celebrating her 12th birthday a few weeks 267 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:53,000 prior and she had invited Anissa and Peyton over to celebrate with a sleepover. 268 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:59,000 The three would go into an indoor roller rink to have some fun and return home around 9.30pm. 269 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:03,000 Once home, the girls would play dress up, play on their laptops, and just generally 270 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,000 hung out before going to bed. 271 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:09,000 Peyton noted that it was odd that Morgan wanted to go to bed around the same time as her, 272 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:13,000 as she was typically a girl who wanted to stay up late, especially during a celebration. 273 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:14,000 Yeah. 274 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:18,000 The following morning, the girls woke up to donuts and strawberries 275 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:21,000 before asking Morgan's mom if they could go outside to play. 276 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:26,000 Little did Peyton know the girls had originally planned to kill her the previous night, 277 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,000 but they ultimately decided that they were too tired after roller skating. 278 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,000 Oh, just too tired. 279 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,000 We'll just wait till tomorrow. 280 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,000 Couldn't possibly be bothered. 281 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:40,000 The girls set off for David's Park with Peyton leading the way in Anissa and Morgan following. 282 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:45,000 When Peyton wasn't looking, Morgan got Anissa's attention and flashed her something she was hiding beneath her jacket. 283 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,000 It was a kitchen knife. 284 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:51,000 Shortly after getting to the park, the three girls went into the bathroom, 285 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:57,000 where the plan was for Morgan to restrain Peyton while Anissa knocked her out by hitting her head against the wall. 286 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:01,000 However, when it came time to do this, Morgan was noted as panicking, 287 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:04,000 and Anissa would try and hit Peyton's head against the wall. 288 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,000 Anissa would later state about this quote, 289 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:11,000 from what I read on the computer, it's easier to kill people when they're either asleep or unconscious, 290 00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,000 and it's also easier if you do not look them in the eyes. 291 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:16,000 I kind of banged her head up against the concrete. 292 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,000 So they already attacked her at this point? 293 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:19,000 They're attempting to. 294 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:20,000 Okay. 295 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,000 Morgan would corroborate the story, stating quote, 296 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:27,000 Anissa tried to knock Bella out, Bella got all mad and stuff, and I was pacing in circles. 297 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:28,000 End quote. 298 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:33,000 In response, Peyton would flee the bathroom, and Anissa was noted as calming Morgan down 299 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:38,000 before they both met Peyton outside, and just casually suggested that they play hide and seek. 300 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,000 After that? 301 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,000 Peyton obviously being aware that there was something weird going on, reluctantly accepted, 302 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:47,000 because, you know, we've seen so far, she's like, 303 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:51,000 gonna go along with it, I don't want to make any waves, you know, she's a nice girl. 304 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:54,000 She's probably just like, what the hell, that was kind of weird, but like, 305 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:57,000 I don't know, let's play hide and seek, maybe I can get away from them for a little bit, 306 00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:58,000 and calm down, you know. 307 00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,000 Distance herself. 308 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,000 Right. 309 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:05,000 Morgan would later state about suggesting hide and seek, excuse me, quote, 310 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:09,000 we let her there and tricked her, people who trust you become very gullible, 311 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,000 and it was sort of sad, end quote. 312 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,000 This is the mind of an 11 year old? 313 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,000 Well, they're 12 now, but yes. 314 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:15,000 12? 315 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,000 Yeah. 316 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:17,000 12 years old? 317 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,000 She's kind of sad that she trusts an ass. 318 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:19,000 Yeah. 319 00:23:19,000 --> 00:23:23,000 And she's done all this research clearly on the internet about how to knock people out? 320 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:24,000 Yeah. 321 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:25,000 It's wild. 322 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:29,000 While they were going to hide, Anissa suggested to Peyton that she should try and conceal herself 323 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,000 by covering herself with leaves. 324 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:35,000 Peyton would do just that, and once she was covered with the leaves, 325 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Anissa was noted as looking at Morgan and stating, quote, go ballistic, go crazy, end quote. 326 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:46,000 She like made, she made her cover herself, like almost bury herself. 327 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:51,000 Almost, I guess so it was like less obvious, maybe. 328 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:56,000 At this time, Morgan would pull the knife from her jacket pocket and begin stabbing Peyton. 329 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:02,000 Peyton would be stabbed a total of 19 times in her arms, stomach, liver, and pancreas. 330 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:08,000 Miraculously, the knife never hit Peyton's heart and came within a millimeter of hitting other major arteries. 331 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:10,000 That is incredible. 332 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:15,000 Morgan would say about this part of the attack, quote, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab. 333 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:16,000 It was weird. 334 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:17,000 I felt no remorse. 335 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:21,000 I would, I actually felt nothing, end quote. 336 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,000 Of course, this is later on. 337 00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:27,000 Morgan continued about this quote, the last thing she said to me was, I trusted you. 338 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:29,000 Then she said that I hate you. 339 00:24:29,000 --> 00:24:31,000 And then we lied to her. 340 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,000 Anissa said that she'd go get help, end quote. 341 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:40,000 Of course, the girls did not go and get help and instead fled the scene, leaving Peyton for death. 342 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:52,000 Unbeknownst to Anissa and Morgan, however, Peyton was still very much alive and she would eventually gather up enough strength to crawl to a nearby trail where a biker passing by would find her bloody and dying after she flagged them down. 343 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,000 She would stab 19 times. 344 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,000 How much blood she must have lost. 345 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:59,000 And how far was this bike trail we don't know. 346 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:04,000 But what an incredible feat, you know, for a 12 year old. 347 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:19,000 Born and brewed in Southern California since 1963, the coffee bean and tea leaf has always been passionate about connecting loyal customers with carefully handcrafted products. 348 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:29,000 Their coffee master, J.I. Zaeus, only selects the top 1% of Arabica beans from the world's best growing regions, giving customers the best quality product every time. 349 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:37,000 Whether you're looking for a dark roast to liven up your day or a soothing tea to relax into the night, the coffee bean and tea leaf has it all. 350 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:42,000 Click the link in our show notes today to access an exclusive offer and get sipping. 351 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:51,000 Authorities would be called and Peyton would quickly be rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery. 352 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:56,000 At a miraculous turn of events, Peyton would wake up from her successful surgery. 353 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:00,000 Peyton recalls this moment of regaining consciousness stating, quote, 354 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:04,000 I remember the first thing that I thought after I woke up was like, did they get them? 355 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,000 Are they there? 356 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:06,000 Are they in custody? 357 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:07,000 Are they still out? 358 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:08,000 End quote. 359 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,000 Little did Peyton know the girls were in custody already. 360 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:20,000 A few hours after the attack, police would locate Morgan and Anisa walking along the highway and bring them both into the station. 361 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:25,000 While being interviewed, it was noted that Morgan and Anisa showed complete opposite emotions. 362 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:33,000 Morgan was noted as being stoic and calm, almost emotionless, while Anisa was hysterical and cried the entire time. 363 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:40,000 During her interview, Anisa made it abundantly clear that Morgan was the one who did the actual stabbing, as Anisa was, quote, 364 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,000 too squeamish, end quote, to do it herself. 365 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Morgan, on the other hand, was unable to correctly recall if it was her or Anisa that held the knife during the stabbing, 366 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,000 but she did state that Anisa was the mastermind behind the idea. 367 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:57,000 Of course, Anisa would say the same thing about Morgan, that it was all her idea. 368 00:26:57,000 --> 00:26:58,000 Right. 369 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:04,000 Another important thing that occurred during the interviews was Anisa admitting that she knew this slender man was not real. 370 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:08,000 She stated about this, quote, beforehand I believed. 371 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:14,000 Now I know it's just teenagers who really like scaring people and making them believe false things, end quote. 372 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:19,000 Morgan was noted as asking authorities during her interview, quote, is she dead? 373 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:21,000 I was just wondering. 374 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:26,000 Sometime went by, quote, I might as well say it, we were trying to kill her, end quote. 375 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:28,000 Just stoic. 376 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:37,000 Police would begin to suspect that Morgan Geyser was the mastermind behind the stabbing due to her emotionless responses and catatonic approach to her interview. 377 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:43,000 Detective Tom Casey has stated about this, quote, there was a lot of deception in Morgan's interview, end quote. 378 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:50,000 Furthermore, Detective Michelle Trusoni would state that there was a, quote, clear sense of who the ringleader was driving this. 379 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:53,000 It was definitely Morgan, end quote. 380 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:58,000 Both of the girls would initially be charged with attempted first degree intentional homicide. 381 00:27:58,000 --> 00:28:03,000 Following the arrest and interviews, police would search the girls' houses. 382 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:08,000 In Morgan's bedroom, they would find drawings of slender man and mutilated dolls. 383 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:17,000 They would also find internet searches on her computer stating things like, quote, how to get away with murder, end quote, and quote, what kind of insane am I, end quote. 384 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,000 Y'all stop looking at things on the internet. 385 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:20,000 Yeah, just stop. 386 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,000 We're the ones telling them that we have all this gruesome shit. 387 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:26,000 I know. That's the thing though, it's like, I think about that too. 388 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:27,000 But we have a, I mean. 389 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:28,000 We have a podcast to back it up. 390 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:29,000 Yeah. 391 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:38,000 When Morgan's family was informed of her arrest and confession, her mother Angie was noted as saying, quote, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. 392 00:28:38,000 --> 00:28:43,000 I would never have imagined that my daughter was capable of hurting another person, end quote. 393 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:51,000 In fact, both of the girls' mothers said in interviews that they did not ever see any warning signs that their daughters would want to harm someone else. 394 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:59,000 Angie would state about Morgan and Peyton's get togethers, quote, they would sit up in Morgan's room and they would do each other's nails and they would laugh and make a mess. 395 00:28:59,000 --> 00:29:02,000 They were just typical girls, end quote. 396 00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:09,000 However, Morgan's mother did admit that she knew about her daughter's fascination with slender man and they even talked about him together. 397 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:17,000 She stated, quote, she would show us some of the pictures and she would read us some of the stories and while some of the subject matter was a little dark, I wasn't concerned. 398 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:20,000 When I was Morgan's age, I was reading Stephen King novels. 399 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:25,000 I remember being 11 years old and writing home from the library with the book It Under My Arm. 400 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,000 And that's a very scary and dark story. 401 00:29:27,000 --> 00:29:32,000 So I just thought it was normal for a child of middle school age to be interested in scary stories, end quote. 402 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:33,000 Just like what you said. 403 00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:34,000 Yeah. 404 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:39,000 And they just get curious, you know, they want to know that adrenaline, right? 405 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:45,000 It's like that episode we did about why we choose to consume scary content or true crime content, you know? 406 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,000 It's all part of that. 407 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:48,000 It's human nature. 408 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:49,000 Yeah, exactly. 409 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:56,000 On the other hand, Anise's mother, Christie, stated that her daughter, quote, never mentioned anything to me about her belief in slender man, quote. 410 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:03,000 Peyton would be in the hospital for seven days following the attack, but she would ultimately make a full recovery and be released. 411 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:04,000 Physically. 412 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:05,000 Yes. 413 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:16,000 During the police investigation and pre-trial psychiatric evaluations, Morgan Geiser would admit that she had been having extreme visual and auditory hallucinations beginning in early childhood. 414 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:25,000 She stated that these figures included things that she interpreted as ghosts, colors melting down walls, and imaginary friends named Maggie and Sev. 415 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:34,000 One recurring hallucination that she spoke of was a man she named It, and she described his body as the color of smoke and ink. 416 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:41,000 She would state that she would most often see this man behind her in mirrors or around corners, which is like petrifying. 417 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:42,000 I'm sorry. 418 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:43,000 That's terrifying. 419 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:44,000 That's a lot. 420 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:55,000 While she was awaiting trial, correctional officers would report that Morgan would frequently talk to herself, pretended to be a cat, and kept Anse she would find as pets. 421 00:30:55,000 --> 00:31:04,000 She was also reported to have talked of seeing unicorns and believing that she was still having ongoing conversations with slender man and other fictional characters. 422 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,000 This is so early. 423 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:08,000 Yeah. 424 00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:12,000 For something like what you're going to say. 425 00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:13,000 Well, what is it? 426 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:14,000 Schizophrenia. 427 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,000 Correct. 428 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:23,000 In the fall of 2014, Morgan was relocated to the Winnebago Mental Health Institution to determine if she was competent to stand trial. 429 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:30,000 On October 22, 2014, Morgan was officially diagnosed with early onset childhood schizophrenia. 430 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:31,000 That is wild. 431 00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:32,000 At 12. 432 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,000 Like probably even before then, she was having symptoms. 433 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:45,000 I think maybe Mark David Chapman is the only other one that we've covered that shows signs of schizophrenia spectrum disorder at a young age, but he was never diagnosed. 434 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:46,000 Yeah. 435 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,000 I mean, it can happen. 436 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,000 It doesn't happen very often, but it can happen. 437 00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:51,000 That's where that early onset is important. 438 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:52,000 Right. 439 00:31:52,000 --> 00:32:00,000 Morgan would go on to receive treatment for her schizophrenia diagnosis, but it would be erratic and inadequate for 19 months. 440 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:10,000 During this time, Morgan would continue to experience her symptoms and would fall into a psychosis in which she was not able to differentiate between reality and delusions. 441 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:23,000 In December of 2015, Morgan would begin a constant long-term regimen of antipsychotic medication, which would finally lead her to being able to understand the full extent of what she had done to payton. 442 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:32,000 Once her medication was stabilized and Morgan was fully able to comprehend what had occurred at her hands, she began showing true signs of guilt and remorse. 443 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:37,000 On March 23, 2016, Morgan would return to the county jail to await her trial. 444 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:45,000 Although she was now being properly medicated, Morgan's mental health would continue to deteriorate while awaiting trial. 445 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:52,000 Professionals would suggest that her mental state was fragile due to her incarceration and coming to terms with what she had done. 446 00:32:52,000 --> 00:33:04,000 When beginning trial, Morgan Geiser would ultimately be charged with attempted first-degree homicide, a class A felony, while Anissa Weir was charged with attempted second-degree homicide, a class B felony. 447 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:11,000 Due to the horrific nature of these offenses, both Anissa and Morgan were waived out of juvenile court and tried as adults. 448 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:12,000 I believe it. 449 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:22,000 In 2017, Anissa would plead guilty to being a party of attempted second-degree homicide, but the jury would ultimately find her quote, not guilty by mental disease or defect. 450 00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:33,000 I'm not sure what Anissa had going on mentally exactly, but again, if it's like, Follyadu kind of following the leader, they might have been able to assume that, like the jury. 451 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:43,000 However, we all know that the judge has final say in the sentencing, and Anissa would be sentenced to 25 years to life, with three of these years required to be in a forensic psychiatry institute. 452 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:55,000 Furthermore, following her release, if and when it happened, Anissa was to be under communal supervision until age 37, which would be the time that her sentence would be up if she hadn't been released. 453 00:33:55,000 --> 00:34:07,000 Morgan would accept a plea offer that stipulated she would not undergo a trial if she pleaded guilty and agreed to further psychiatric evaluation to determine appropriate duration of commitment to a forensic psychiatric hospital. 454 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:08,000 Oh. 455 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:15,000 Morgan would later plead guilty, but would be found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect due to her schizophrenia diagnosis. 456 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:24,000 However, Morgan would face time as well, and she was given the maximum sentence of 40 years to life, with three of these years required to be served at a forensic psychiatric unit. 457 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,000 Just three out of 40 years, though? 458 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,000 Three required. 459 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:28,000 Oh, I see. 460 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:37,000 In addition, the terms of her sentence were for her to be involuntarily treated in a similar institution until resolution of symptoms or age 53, whichever happens first. 461 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:42,000 So it's like three required here, and then now you're involuntarily placed either way. 462 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:47,000 Yeah, but the fact that it's like, oh, you know, until you get better, but you have schizophrenia. 463 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,000 Yeah, exactly. 464 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:49,000 It doesn't get better. 465 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,000 Well, that's probably what the thought was behind it, honestly. 466 00:34:52,000 --> 00:35:02,000 Also, in the agreement, if Morgan were to be released, she would remain under communal supervision and undergo periodic re-evaluations of her mental state, which is like, how often do we hear that? 467 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:03,000 Not a lot. 468 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:04,000 Yeah. 469 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:05,000 That should be a thing a lot more. 470 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:06,000 I agree. 471 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:12,000 At her sentencing, Morgan was noted as stating, quote, I just want to let Bella and her family know I'm sorry. 472 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:16,000 I never meant this to happen, and I hope she is doing well, end quote. 473 00:35:16,000 --> 00:35:17,000 Don't talk to me. 474 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:19,000 I'd be like, don't fucking talk to me. 475 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:25,000 Well, it's just, it's hard too, because it's like she's so seriously mentally ill, but also it's like you did the tainest thing to me. 476 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:28,000 How can I wrap my brain around that? 477 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:37,000 Well, and then, I don't know if you'll mention it or not, but the only thing that my mind goes back to is Peyton's mental health, what's been perpetrated on her. 478 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,000 Right. 479 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,000 She could have lived her whole life without having something like PTSD. 480 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:41,000 Exactly. 481 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:48,000 And not for nothing, but Morgan's father was also diagnosed with schizophrenia, and I think it was, actually I think it was undiagnosed, but he had signs and symptoms. 482 00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,000 Yeah. 483 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,000 Regardless, he definitely had it, whether it was diagnosed or not. 484 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:57,000 So I feel like it should have been a little bit more of a push to get her evaluated early on. 485 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:58,000 Yeah. 486 00:35:58,000 --> 00:36:04,000 Although they did say that she didn't acknowledge that any of this was even happening to her, like in her mind, until after she was arrested. 487 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:10,000 I mean, I understand what you're saying, that maybe the parents should have kind of been on the lookout a little bit for signs and symptoms. 488 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:11,000 However, at that age. 489 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,000 At that age. 490 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:14,000 You know, I mean, that's the thing. 491 00:36:14,000 --> 00:36:24,000 At that age, where they're trying to consume all this content and be on the internet and be spooked and like all this stuff and. 492 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,000 I'm not blaming anybody at all. 493 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:27,000 No. 494 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:36,000 I feel like if I were to make a suggestion, it would have been if the father had a psychiatrist, it would have been maybe the psychiatrist saying, okay, I'd like to evaluate your children just like every, you know, six months. 495 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:38,000 I'd like to talk to them, you know, just in case. 496 00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:39,000 I don't know. 497 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,000 And the fact that it's very unusual given her age. 498 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:42,000 Yeah. 499 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,000 And we don't even know if he was diagnosed. 500 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:45,000 I'm pretty sure he wasn't. 501 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,000 I think they had just said that he was showing signs as well. 502 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:48,000 Yeah. 503 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,000 And that might have developed later in life in his 20s. 504 00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:51,000 Yeah. 505 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:52,000 Late 20s. 506 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,000 They weren't, you know, on the lookout for it at 11. 507 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,000 That's so true. 508 00:36:55,000 --> 00:37:03,000 In 2020, Morgan would petition that she be retried as a juvenile considering the age at which she committed her crime and her mental state. 509 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:13,000 This would be rejected by an appeals court and her attorney, Mathur Pinnick's, would argue in defense that Morgan should have been charged with attempted second degree intentional homicide rather than first degree. 510 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:15,000 His name's Mathur. 511 00:37:15,000 --> 00:37:17,000 No, it's Matthew. 512 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,000 Did I say Mathur? 513 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:23,000 Well, I've made a lot of mistakes this episode, but I've cut them all out. 514 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:24,000 I'm going to leave that one. 515 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,000 Matthew, his name's Matthew. 516 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:33,000 And the next sentence is, Michael would also argue. 517 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:38,000 What's his name? 518 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,000 One sec, please. 519 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:43,000 I'd like to take a moment to publicly apologize to Matthew. 520 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:44,000 What's his name? 521 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:45,000 His name is Matthew. 522 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:46,000 His name is Matthew. 523 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,000 I made sure to look it up. 524 00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,000 That's so funny. 525 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,000 Not Michael, not Mathur. 526 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:50,000 Matthew. 527 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:51,000 Yes. 528 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:57,000 Matthew would also argue that Morgan gave statements to investigators before being read her Miranda Wright. 529 00:37:57,000 --> 00:38:00,000 So he's like trying to get her a retrial because of all these reasons. 530 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,000 In early 2021, this appeal would also be denied. 531 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:16,000 On March 10, 2021, Anissa, then 19 years old, submitted a letter to the court stating that she was, quote, sorry and deeply regretful for the agony, pain and fear I have caused, end quote. 532 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:23,000 She went on to state that she was not only apologetic to Peyton, but to quote my community as well, end quote. 533 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:32,000 She continues, quote, I hate my actions from May 31, 2014, but through countless hours of therapy, I no longer hate myself for them, end quote. 534 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:33,000 It's pretty wise. 535 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:34,000 Yeah. 536 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:52,000 On July 1, 2021, Wukasha County Judge Michael Borhin ordered Anissa be released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, gave state officials 60 days to draft a conditional release plan and required that Anissa be assigned to case managers to supervise her progress until she is 37 years old. 537 00:38:52,000 --> 00:39:00,000 On September 13, 2021, Anissa was released with multiple stipulations, including 24 hour GPS monitoring. 538 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:03,000 However, this would be removed two years later in September of 2023. 539 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:04,000 Wow. 540 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:08,000 Although she is released, Anissa is still restricted in many ways. 541 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,000 Her internet use is being monitored. 542 00:39:10,000 --> 00:39:15,000 She is not allowed to use social media and she is required to take medications and continue her counseling sessions. 543 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,000 I had no idea she was even out. 544 00:39:17,000 --> 00:39:18,000 Yeah. 545 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:26,000 In January of 2024, Morgan Geiser would petition the court for release two years after withdrawing a similar petition in 2022. 546 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:32,000 At a hearing in April of 2024, a judge would deny this request for release. 547 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:35,000 So she's still in instituted. 548 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:41,000 After the gruesome attack of Peyton, slender man creator Eric Nudson would release a statement of condolences. 549 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:48,000 Quote, I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act. 550 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:49,000 End quote. 551 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:58,000 In response to the attack, Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation declaring Wednesday, August 13, 2014, quote, Purple Hearts for Healing Day. 552 00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:03,000 End quote. And encouraged the people of Wisconsin to wear purple to honor the victim of the stabbing. 553 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:04,000 Hmm. 554 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:11,000 On August 24, 2014, the city of Madison, Wisconsin held a one day Broadworth's Festival to honor the survivor of the stabbing. 555 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,000 At this point, Peyton's name had not been released. 556 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:14,000 Hmm. 557 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:19,000 The event was run by over 250 volunteers and raised over $70,000. 558 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:20,000 Wow. 559 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:28,000 On October 24, 2019, survivor Peyton Lutner, then 17 years old, spoke publicly about her experience for the first time. 560 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:32,000 She discussed her scars, stating, quote, I don't think much of them. 561 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,000 They'll probably go away and fade eventually. 562 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,000 End quote. 563 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:44,000 When asked what she would say if she ever saw Morgan again, Peyton stated that she would thank her because the attack inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. 564 00:40:44,000 --> 00:40:46,000 Whoa. 565 00:40:46,000 --> 00:40:48,000 Oh, heave. 566 00:40:48,000 --> 00:40:55,000 So that is the Slender Man stabbing that was requested by our lovely patron number, Sarah. 567 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:56,000 Thank you, Sarah, for requesting that. 568 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:57,000 Thanks, Sarah. 569 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:00,000 I hope you enjoyed the episode and we always appreciate requests. 570 00:41:00,000 --> 00:41:01,000 Yeah, absolutely. 571 00:41:01,000 --> 00:41:07,000 I think it's been a little bit on our radar, the Anisa Weir, Morgan, Geyser situation. 572 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:08,000 Mm-hmm. 573 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:11,000 And, but, you know, it's just such a bizarre case. 574 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:12,000 Yeah. 575 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:13,000 For sure. 576 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:14,000 And so, yeah, thanks for bringing that. 577 00:41:14,000 --> 00:41:15,000 Thanks for the suggestion. 578 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:17,000 I learned something today. 579 00:41:17,000 --> 00:41:18,000 Oh, good. 580 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:20,000 About the origin of Slender Daddy. 581 00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:27,000 Yeah, I knew I had to kind of go into the history of Slender Man because we have listeners that maybe don't know about Slender Man. 582 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:32,000 You know, I'm pretty sure it's an American lore, so I don't see why it would be like a nationwide thing. 583 00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:33,000 What is it? 584 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:34,000 I think it's a worldwide thing. 585 00:41:34,000 --> 00:41:35,000 It is. 586 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:36,000 Okay, well. 587 00:41:36,000 --> 00:41:37,000 I think it's big in the UK. 588 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,000 Oh, well, some places I'm sure have not heard about or some people. 589 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:40,000 I'll just say that. 590 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:41,000 For sure, yeah. 591 00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:45,000 It is definitely like kind of one of those, I wouldn't say it's deep underground internet. 592 00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:50,000 It's surface level internet, but it became huge, became a huge thing. 593 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:54,000 Yeah, it's also been almost 20 years since it was even created. 594 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:57,000 One of the more viral themes, if you will. 595 00:41:57,000 --> 00:42:04,000 Well, yeah, that is the Slender Man stabbing Anissa Weir and Morgan Geyser and then survivor Peyton Lutner. 596 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,000 And we hope that you guys enjoyed this episode. 597 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:08,000 We will see you soon. 598 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:11,000 Patreon members with another bonus episode in the next couple days. 599 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:14,000 And then we have our regularly scheduled case on Thursday. 600 00:42:14,000 --> 00:42:15,000 All right. 601 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:16,000 Talk to you later. 602 00:42:16,000 --> 00:42:17,000 Bye. 603 00:42:17,000 --> 00:42:18,000 Love you. 604 00:42:18,000 --> 00:42:19,000 I mean, love you. 605 00:42:19,000 --> 00:42:20,000 Bye. 606 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:27,200 Bright Cellars is a monthly wine club that matches you to delicious wines tailored completely 607 00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:28,920 to your tastes. 608 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:33,840 Take their personalized seven question quiz and be paired with wines you are sure to love. 609 00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:38,000 You can even improve your matches by rating each wine after you try them. 610 00:42:38,000 --> 00:42:42,420 Bright Cellars offers a unique tasting experience as each bottle comes with tasting notes and 611 00:42:42,420 --> 00:42:44,120 pairing suggestions. 612 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,720 It's like having your very own sommelier at home. 613 00:42:46,720 --> 00:42:51,640 And their expert wine concierge will customize your subscription to fit any lifestyle. 614 00:42:51,640 --> 00:43:12,660 Click the link in the show notes for an exclusive offer from Bright Cellars today.