WAUKESHA, Wis. – 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 (http://bit.ly/2hglPLV ) 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. She was able to crawl to a path where a bicyclist found her.
Geyser and Weier have pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease to attempted homicide charges in adult court.
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Information from: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, http://www.jsonline.com
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