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The trial of one of the two teenagers accused of stabbing a comrade in 2014 to satisfy an evil creature born on the Internet, opened Monday in a court in Waukesha, Wisconsin, north-east. Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, 12 years old at the time, stabbed 19 Payton Leutner in a woodland in the town, about 40 km from Milwaukee. The victim, also 12 years old, was left for dead before being discovered by a cyclist who had called for help.
The two pre-teenagers frequented the website Creepypasta which lists stories of horror. According to the prosecution, they wanted to kill to satisfy a virtual character called "Slenderman", a kidnapper of children according to his legend, fearing that he would attack their families if they did not act. The accused dismissed the responsibility for the assault and pleaded insanity.
Anissa Weier is accused of attempted murder and faces 10 years of imprisonment. Her trial, which is scheduled to last until September 21, must determine whether she is responsible for her actions and whether to serve her sentence in a hospital or prison. Experts-psychiatrists felt that Anissa Weier suffered from depression and delusional disorder that prevented her from differentiating reality from fiction, according to media reports. Morgan Geyser, who suffers from schizophrenia, must be judged separately before the end of the year. The news item had inspired the documentary "Attention to Slenderman" broadcast in 2016 on HBO.