Slender Man is a fictional online character, but he was very real to the two girls who tried to kill their friend to prove his existence.
In hours of interrogation videos obtained by Wisconsin TV station WISN, the girls each had very different reactions to being held for the attempted murder of their friend, Payton Leutner, as a tribute to Slender Man.
One of the Slender Man suspects, Anissa Weierm, who was 12 at the time of the crime, seemed anxious and somewhat remorseful.
When she was asked by a detective if she understood what it means to kill somebody, she said, “I believe it’s ending a life. And I regret it.”
However, when Slender man suspect Morgan Geyser, also 12, was asked how it felt to brutally stab Payton 19 times and leave her for dead, she reacted in a chilling and disturbingly nonchalant manner.
She said, “It felt weird. I felt no remorse. I thought I would.”
During the interview, Geyser’s body and face are not seen, but her arm twitches and swings weirdly as she recounts the events of the night she tried to kill Payton for Slender Man.
When she was asked how many times she thinks she plunged the knife into her friend, Morgan Geyser retorted, “I don’t know. I didn’t know I was supposed to count.”
After being brutally stabbed in the name of Slender Man, Payton Leutner managed to drag herself to a bike path that was nearby. A passersby spotted her and called 911.
Payton recovered over the summer and started school again. Of course, the mental anguish suffered by her may never be over.
As for the girls who wanted so badly to prove Slender Man exists, they are about to get one serious reality check.
Anissa Weierm and Morgan Geyser appeared in court last week while their lawyers argued ruthlessly to have their clients not be tried as adults for the hateful and bizarre crime.
The judge in the case said he will make his decision about how the Slender Man stabbers will be tried on March 13, after he has had time to review the hours of interrogation videos.
What do you think about Morgan Geyser’s weird behavior during her interview with police?
Do you think she has any remorse?