One of two adolescents charged with stabbing a classmate to appease the fictional internet entity The Slender Man, has been deemed fit to stand trial, a Wisconsin judge ruled Wednesday.
On May 31, the teen, now 13, along with a friend, lured their 12-year-old classmate into a wooded area in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where they allegedly held her down and stabbed her 19 times. The victim crawled away and was discovered by a cyclist.
Judge Michael Bohren heard the report of the 13-year-old defendant’s present psychological assessment, but didn’t directly act upon it, after defense attorney Anthony Cotton countered that he hadn’t gotten the chance to speak with his client. Bohren advised Cotton to talk with the teen and return to court on Tuesday.
While being interviewed by the police, the two attackers admitted that the stabbing was the first step toward becoming “proxies” to The Slender Man. The 13-year-old defendant said she believed that The Slender Man lived in a mansion in Wisconsin, where she and her accomplice could live, after they completed a murder. Both were charged as adults for first-degree intentional homicide, and are facing up to 65 years imprisonment each.
Judge delays competency decision in Slenderman case http://t.co/37doaEn39U pic.twitter.com/88NzLyP8lA
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) November 12, 2014
Attorney Cotton declined to comment on the hearing, and had been previously concerned over his client’s mental well-being. Though, his defendant was said to have looked more stable than during earlier hearings – she was dressed casually Wednesday, while sitting calmly. She had previously made court appearances in jail clothes, and would writhe in her seat.
Wayward tweens like the Slender Man:
Commenting on the defendant’ss mental status back in August, Dr. Brooke Lundbohm told the Waukesha County court that the tween is “standing mute.” Lundbohm revealed that the 13-year-old likewise believes in unicorns, thinks she has mind-control capabilities similar to the Vulcan race of Star Trek lore and has conversations with Harry Potter villain Lord Voldemort. She is likewise afraid to mention much about The Slender Man, for fear he would harm her or her family. She also claimed to communicate with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
According to Kenneth Robbins, a psychiatrist hired by the defense, the defendant was described as being “giddy,” was laughing inappropriately while being interviewed and seemed unconcerned about a lengthy prison sentence.