Wisconsin girls lose appeal in Slender Man attack

[NWCorona]

Source: AP

A Wisconsin state appeals court ruled Wednesday that two girls accused of trying to kill their classmate in an attempt to please the fictional horror character Slender Man should be tried as adults.

The 2nd District Appeals court, in a pair of rulings, affirmed a lower court's determination that it was reasonable to try both girls as adults. The girls could appeal the rulings to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

The girls were 12 years old in 2014 when investigators say they lured 12-year-old Payton Leutner to a park in Waukesha, about 20 miles west of Milwaukee. Authorities say the girls stabbed Payton 19 times in an attempted sacrifice to a fictitious horror character called Slender Man. Payton was left for dead but managed to crawl from a wooded area where she was discovered by a bicyclist.

The Associated Press hasn't identified the defendants because their cases could still move to juvenile court, where proceedings are closed.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/f79132d6b7ba4075a5aca1c0aec9d2b3

[uawchild]

1. Sorry, 12 year olds are not adults.

They cannot reasonable be held responsible as adults for there actions. They must be treated as minors that need to face very real consequences for their crime.

[NWCorona]

2. I agree but unfortunately there's legal precedent on this

[uawchild]

4. You are so correct, sadly.

It's one thing to say that children can be held criminally responsible for their actions, most people feel that by the age of 10 or so, children DO have a sense of right and wrong.

It's an entirely different thing to treat these children as adults in the criminal justice system.

[Ms. Yertle]

6. From the article:

In a pair of rulings Wednesday, the 2nd District Appeals court affirmed a lower court's determination that it was reasonable to try both girls as adults. Citing the ruling last year, the appeals court said if the girls were found guilty in the juvenile system they would be released at age 18 with no supervision or mental health treatment.

While I would agree with you about children being tried as adults, in this case the general public might be safer with these two in prison. They clearly need mental health help, and probably supervision for the rest of their lives.

[uawchild]

8. Is prison the answer?

How much mental health support will they receive in prison? Not much?

And where will they actually be locked up? In an adult prison?

I realize the current system of juvenile justice is inadequate, but so is the adult system, especially when applied to 12 year olds.

12 year olds are simply not adults.

[Ms. Yertle]

11. It looks like there isn't an adequate option in this case

If the choices are between locking them up forever with or without mental health help, and turning them loose in a few years with no mental health help, which one is the lesser of the two evils?

I sincerely wish there was a way to provide the help they so obviously need. I can't imagine why in 2016 there hasn't been any effort to reform the juvenile justice system to meet the needs of children who have committed violent crimes, while still adequately protecting society.

[FighttheFuture]

20. The "adequate" option is keeping these two psychopaths out of general society.

I know, it sucks for them, but.... the greater good an all.

[yallerdawg]

3. Just which party is more nuts, the State or the girls?

Nothing crazy about serving Slender Man, is there?

[Archae]

5. Living not far from that area, I hear quite a bit about the case.

One of the girls, the supposed "dominant" one, is rather lost in fantasy, she is convinced that Harry Potter characters are real, as is the "Slenderman."

[HuskyOffset]

7. Jesus H. Tapdancing Christ

Just what directly the fuck is going through the minds of these girls?!? I they're that unhinged from reality, were there prior warning signs?

[Grey Lemercier]

9. the internet allows people to project their lunacy and thus hide it from real life surroundings

[Nevernose]

10. Murder and other serious crimes are ALWAYS tried in adult court

Or at least almost always. "Trying them as adults" is just the legal formality needed to change the venue from juvenile courts -- which are most definitely incapable of holding a trial for murder or many sexual assault cases.

Depending upon the outcome, they could still be sentenced as children, and probably will be.

[MosheFeingold]

12. Don't know the particular state law

But, in general, yes, you are correct that "tried as an adult" doesn't mean that much unless they were much older.

Typically, it means they can be held until 21 or 25, switching from JV to adult prison (or, more likely, mental facility) at 18 or so.

In some circumstances it's favorable to the defendant, in that the prison sentence is a known amount, whereas juvenile sentences can be indeterminate -- i.e., "until the earlier of age 25 or no longer a threat."

[uawchild]

13. Thanks for this information. n/t

[dembotoz]

17. no i live in the area....the prosecution is trying them as adults and all that implies

quite often what is just has absolutely NOTHING to do with what is legal

during the early phases of this thing the prosecutors strutted around like peacocks showing how law and order they were

this is republican heaven waukesha county.
the prosecutors would burn them at the stake if law allowed.

[getting old in mke]

14. Local Link

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/court-of-appeals-slender-man-stabbing-defendants-stay-in-adult-court-b99767626z1-388368011.html

The one girl was held for 15 months in jail where she could not be treated for Early Onset Schizophrenia. She finally got committed and started receiving treatment seven months ago. It took petitions (signer here) and multiple hearings to allow that.

[HeartoftheMidwest]

16. I too remembered the diagnosis of schizophrenia in this case.

I have NO knowledge of the law, but is it possible that because her condition is so severe, and because she's been so violent at this point in her life, that the prosecutors weighed the future risk to society against her age, and decided not to risk that she might be released in the future?

Whatever the thinking on this, it's obscene that we don't have better mental health care in this country.

[Phentex]

15. It's just sad

all the way around.

[truthisfreedom]

18. Well I'll say they've lost appeal. I don't trust ANYBODY from Wisconsin anymore.

I keeeed, I keeeeeed you.

[NaturalHigh]

19. As horrific as this crime was, I have a problem with trying 12 yo as adults.