A Wisconsin judge has stayed the conditional release of Morgan Geyser pending a hearing.
According to Court TV, the decision came nearly a month after Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren granted Geyser conditional release to a group home, stating that rehabilitation requires people to engage with the community.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Geyser received a 40-year confinement to a mental health facility after a jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity after stabbing her friend in 2014. She and Anissa Weier confessed to the attack on 12-year-old Payton Leutner.
After a sleepover celebrating Geyser’s 12th birthday, Weier and Geyser lured 12-year-old Payton to the woods, stabbed her 19 times, and left her for dead. They later told police they carried out the attack to satisfy Slender Man, a fictional horror character.
Weier and Geyser claimed they believed their families would be harmed if they did not attack their classmate, the news outlet reported.
Payton survived the attack after she made her way to a nearby road and flagged down a cyclist.
The latest ruling follows concerns from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where Geyser is currently held. The institution filed a petition with the court, raising issues about a book she had been reading and someone she was communicating with.
The petition, presented in court on Friday, alleged that the book—reportedly a Stephen King novel—contained themes of sexual sadism and graphic content.
In response, Geyser’s defense argued for her release, highlighting the institution’s controlled access, knowledge of visitors, and ability to monitor meetings.
“I think it’s unfair for somebody, who was already ordered to be released, now has their plan interrupted because she chose to disclose intreatment things that she is reading and talk honestly and openly about the questions that are asked of her,” Geyser’s defense attorney, Anthony Cotton said.
A motion hearing has been scheduled for March 6. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo:FILE – In this Sept. 13, 2017 file photo, Anissa Weier, listens as former teachers testify during her trial in Waukesha County Court, in Waukesha, Wis. One of the two Wisconsin girls accused of stabbing a classmate, Payton Leuter, in 2014 to gain the favor of a horror character named Slender Man will soon learn how long she will spend in a mental health facility. A judge in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2017, is expected to send 16-year-old Weier to a facility for at least three years after she was previously found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. (Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)]
