Two Wisconsin teenage girls accused of trying to murder their friend to appease fictional character Slender Man — are seeking release after nearly two years in custody. In court papers obtained by the AP, lawyers for the defendants claim they are not dangerous and can safely return to their families.
According to the AP, both are being held on $500,000 bonds. Their attorneys suggested that they be given therapy, round-the-clock supervision and GPS monitoring devices if they are released. A judge will consider the requests on Friday, April 15.
The suspects — now 13 and 14 — were 12 when authorities say they lured one of their middle school classmates, Payton Leutner, into a wooded area and stabbed her 19 times with a kitchen knife. The victim, who was left for dead and covered in blood, was discovered by a bicyclist and spent weeks in the hospital recovering. Miraculously, Leutner survived.
The accused, who were in eighth grade at the time, were arrested and charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide and were charged as adults.
While explaining the attack to police, the suspects referenced the Slender Man, a character they discovered on a website called Creepypasta Wiki. Their attorneys claimed the suspects believed Slender Man would kill them if they didn’t kill on his behalf.
As depicted on the website, Slender Man is a tall, thin faceless figure who wears a black suit and who uses his unusually long arms to abduct children.
Leutner’s parents, Stacie and Joe, opened up to ABC’s 20/20 in September 2014, and revealed their daughter had a close relationship with one of the suspects. “I think the hardest part for me is that Payton put this trust in this girl,” Stacie said. “And [she] knew that she was going to do this to Payton that night. She knew, and to betray somebody like that and to hurt somebody like that … Both of my kids have been robbed of their innocence. No child should ever have to go through something like this. Caden shouldn’t have to watch his sister go through it, and Payton shouldn’t have to go through it. It’s just wrong.”
