WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A judge has ordered separate trials for two Wisconsin girls accused of trying to kill a classmate to please a fictional horror character called Slender Man.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren announced his ruling Monday. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Bohren ordered separate trials for 14-year-old Morgan Geyser and 15-year-old Anissa Weier after learning both defense teams and prosecutors agreed that a joint trial could pose legal risks.
Both girls were 12 when prosecutors say they stabbed classmate Payton Leutner 19 times in a Waukesha park following a sleepover in 2014. Payton survived. The victim was left to crawl to her rescue, and she was taken to a hospital after a passing bicyclist found her, police said.
Geyser and Weier have pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease to attempted homicide charges in adult court.
