GROWING UP

‘Slender Man’ Suspects to Be Tried as Adults

They were 12 years old at the time of crime.

The two girls who—at the age of 12—repeatedly stabbed a classmate in honor of Internet character “Slender Man” will be charged as adults for the crime. On Wednesday, a court ruled that it is “reasonable” to try both Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, now both 14 years old, as adults; and that they can still appeal to the Wisconsin Supreme Court if they still wish to have their cases moved to juvenile court instead. Defense attorneys have argued, on behalf of Weier and Geyser, that the teens suffer from mental illnesses and will be denied appropriate treatment in adult prison, but, under Wisconsin law, anyone older than the age of 9 charged with first-degree attempted homicide is considered an adult automatically. The two reportedly lured their friend Payton Leutner to the woods and stabbed her 19 times on behalf of a fictional character named Slender Man. Leutner survived the attack despite being left for dead in the woods.