When I see on the news that a murder has occurred, I often ask myself, “What drove a person to commit that crime?” But when the murder has been committed by a child, the news strikes me in such a way that I am unable to grasp what may have been going through his mind. That a child is not kind and sympathetic and instead is dangerous to society is hard to understand.

Many are the psychologists and psychiatrists who, for years, have tried to find answers to the whys and wherefores of psychopathic children. Little ones can be very naughty and very cruel to other children their age. Now, what motivates them to commit crimes without any kind of repentance?

On most occasions the life of these killers is usually marked by abuse, mistreatment, broken families , etc. Therefore, generally, and at least in part, the behaviour of these little killers is a product of their environment, which must be taken into account in order to understand what may have gone on in the minds of these child killers. In other cases, mental disorders can also be the trigger for these acts of barbarism.

When Fiction Meets Reality: Child Killers

Unfortunately, there are stories that go beyond fiction and that, because of their brutality and their terrifying script, shake us all up. One example is the well-known case I will explain in today’s article. This is the terrifying case of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, two friends aged 12 and 13 who lived in Wisconsin (United States) and who one day stabbed a friend of theirs in order to impress a fictional character that was created in a thread on the Internet forum and has starred in many fictional works that circulate on the web: The Slender Man.

The events occurred on May 31, 2014, and although the case had an immediate impact, the more details of what had happened became known, the more surprising the story became. The girls had planned the crime a few days earlier and had a map of the Waukesha, Wisconsin, forest where they took their 12-year-old friend to stab her 19 times.

The victim, Payton Leutner, was found by a cyclist that same Saturday, and was taken to the hospital, where they surprisingly managed to save his life. In fact, he recovered after a few months and is now living a normal life.

The motives for the assassination attempt

When questioned by Wisconsin authorities about the motives for the assassination attempt, Morgan and Anissa responded that killing their friend was the first step in becoming the representatives (proxies) of the Slender Man. This character was the leader of the website creepypasta.com and demanded sacrifices as a demonstration of loyalty .

Morgan Geyser was the one in control between the two friends, and they had been planning the crime for a month before it happened. Her intelligence was superior to that of her age, but what really stands out is her personality: introverted and psychotic.

They planned the murder on several occasions

Morgan and Anissa not only planned the murder in the forest in advance, but had planned to kill their friend on two previous occasions .

The first plan was to kill Payton by cutting his throat in his sleep. They changed the plan by hesitation. Then they thought of killing her in a public bath, but changed their mind because they thought blood might be a problem and, besides, someone might hear Payton’s screams. It was too risky! In the end they decided to take her into the woods and stab her to death.

Both minors do not yet know their sentence, but the court will try them as adults. The defence alleges that the girls were mentally retarded and therefore would not be in control of their actions.

Morgan’s Mental Health Issues

The defense claims that Morgan is mentally disturbed, and she appears to be suffering from schizophrenia and hallucinations. That is to say, the assassination attempt was a consequence of her mental problems , because she saw the Slender Man, or at least she thought she was observing him. The role of her friend is not completely clear yet, although some experts like the American psychiatrist Laura Davies (in an article in the Chicago Tribune) talk about a case of Folie à Deux (shared disorder).

The police found a series of drawings in de Morgan and they were used as evidence by the defense. You can see them below:

1. Image of the Slender Man

In this image you can see a drawing of the fictitious character Slender Man.

2. Image “I love killing people”

In this image a girl who kills another girl and the phrase “I love killing people”.

3. The scribble “I want to die”

In this image a scribble that says: “I want to die”.

4. Hug with Slender Man

In this image a girl hugs the Slender Man.

4. Tortured dolls

In this image you can see different dolls that have been tortured and have satanic symbols.

6. Supplies needed

In this image you can see a list of objects needed for the crime. It is striking that the word “kitchen knife” appears.