WAUKESHA, Wis. — A Wisconsin judge on Thursday cleared the way for Morgan Geyser’s release from a mental health facility, where she has been held following a 2014 incident in which she and a co-defendant stabbed a classmate to appease a fictional character. The decision came after the facility sought to halt her planned transition to a group home, challenging the move with a last-minute petition.
In February, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren put a temporary hold on Geyser’s release after the Winnebago Mental Health Institute expressed concerns over her rehabilitation. The institution pointed to Geyser’s reading material and her communication with certain individuals as potential red flags. The petition highlighted fears centered around a book containing violent and explicit content that Geyser had accessed, which raised questions about her readiness for reintegration into society.
Geyser, now 20, had been sentenced to a 40-year commitment in a mental health facility after a court found her not guilty due to mental disease or defect in the attack on Payton Leutner, who survived the stabbing. Geyser and her accomplice, Anissa Weier, confessed to carrying out the assault to curry favor with Slender Man, a mythical figure popularized on the internet.
Weier, for her part, was also committed to a mental health institution and later petitioned for her release, which was granted last year under numerous conditions including constant GPS monitoring.
During the court proceedings, Geyser’s attorney vehemently defended her client’s suitability for conditional release. He argued that the facility’s controlled environment had measures in place to manage and supervise Geyser, ensuring her and the community’s safety. Her attorney accused the institution of attempting a smear campaign to influence the court’s decision unfavorably towards Geyser at a critical juncture.
Despite the allegations in the institute’s petition, Judge Bohren ruled in favor of Geyser’s conditional release after weighing the opinions presented by mental health professionals and the arguments from her legal team. The judge outlined strict conditions for Geyser’s release, which includes continuous monitoring, support from a designated case manager, and regular counseling sessions.
The decision underscores a significant step towards rehabilitation and reintegration for individuals found not guilty by reason of mental disease, proposing that gradual community involvement is a pivotal aspect of the therapeutic process.
As this narrative continues to unfold, it draws attention to the complexities involved in addressing mental health issues within the criminal justice system and the challenges of balancing community safety with the rehabilitation needs of the individual.
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