"(static) (crickets chirping)" "(footsteps)" "(girl breathing heavily) (running footsteps)" "(static)" "(girl whimpers)" "(footsteps stop) (girl panting)" "(static)" "Girl:" "Hey!" "Over here!" "(static stops)" "(girl panting) (crickets chirping)" "(twig snaps)" "(girl panting)" "Girl:" "Please!" "(girl grunts)" "(feedback)" "(static)" "(girl screams)" "(computer mouse clicks)" "(ominous music playing)" "(sirens approaching)" "♪ ♪" "(sirens approaching)" "Dispatcher on phone:" "911, what is the address of your emergency?" "Officer:" "Waukesha County, I'mgonnatransferover acalleron BigBend." "That'sa deadend justsouthof Rivera." "Dispatcher:" "Okay." "Officer:" "He came upon a12-year-oldfemale." "Sheappears tohavebeenstabbed." "Dispatcher:" "She appears to be what?" "Officer:" "Stabbed." "Dispatcher:" "Stabbed?" "Officer:" "Correct." "On Saturday, May 31st, 2014, at approximately 9:50 a.m., the Waukesha Police Department was notified by a concerned citizen that a 12-year-old girl was stabbed in the area of Big Bend Road in the city of Waukesha." "Female reporter:" "Thestabbingbroughtahuge  policepresenceto thearea, amajorsearch bygroundandair  lookingfortwoothergirls." "AnissaWeier andMorganGeyser areaccused ofstabbingtheirfriend andleavingherfor dead." "Male reporter:" "Weier and Geyser lured Payton intothewoods" "Male reporter 2:" "Police say that's when Geyser, holdingtheknife, wastoldby Weier, "Goballistic,go crazy."" "♪ ♪" "Attorney:" "And what happened?" "Payton said, "Then she started."" "Male reporter 3:" "Geyserbeganto stab the12-year-old, asshescreamed,19times witha five-inchblade." "Sheriff:" "In the arms, legs,andtorso." "Male reporter:" "Oneoftheknifewounds misseda majorartery nearherheart byjustamillimeter." "♪ ♪" "Female reporter 2:" "Paytonsomehowsurvived." "Shecrawledout ofthosewoods." "Female reporter 3:" "Abicyclistfoundher  onthesidewalk, coveredinblood andbeggingforhelp." "Whenaskedwhoattackedher,  shesaid,"Mybestfriend."" "Police say the suspects were inspired by a character on a website called Creepypasta, asitefilled withscarystories." "Now,thestorytheyfollowed wasaboutacharacter calledSlenderman." "A tall, fictional boogeyman featured on Internet blogs." "Slenderman, a faceless ghoul many parents have likely never heard of." "Female reporter 4:" "Ifyoudon'tknow whoSlendermanis-- well, we didn't either, but plenty of young kids do." "If you don't know who Slenderman is, you live under a rock." "Who's that?" "(static) (boy yelling) Run!" "Run!" "Run!" "Oh my god, run!" "No, run!" "Boy 2:" "Oh my god!" "Girl:" "Oh my god!" "Male reporter 2:" "Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser werefoundwalking neartheinterstate." "Theylatertoldpolice theyplannedto walk toSlenderman'smansion." "Female reporter 5:" "Police say it's also who the young suspects claimed they wanted to please." "Detective Trussoni:" "Anissafeltas though sheneededto prove that Slenderman existed and would be able to do that by killing somebody." "And Morgan said that her family would be in danger if they didn't." "Prosecutors have charged the girls as adults." "If convicted on the charges, each 12-year-old faces upto65 yearsinprison." "(static)" "(Morgan speaks matter-of-factly)" "(Detective Casey speaks)" "(Morgan speaks)" "♪ ♪" "(DetectiveTrussoni speakingonvideo)" "(crying)" "(Caseyspeaks matter-of-factly)" "(Morgan speaks on video)" "(Caseyspeaks)" "(Morgan speaks)" "(Caseyspeaks)" "(Morgan speaking)" "♪ ♪" "Attorney:" "Did it seem to you at any point during your interview with Morgan that she was remorseful about what she had done?" "Absolutely none." "Attorney:" "Did she cry at all at any point during your interview of her?" "There was no emotion from her at all." "♪ ♪" "Attorney:" "Did you, after discussing the incident itself, have any conversation with Payton about how she felt about Morgan and Anissa at this point?" "She said that Morgan should go to jail for the rest of her life... and that Anissa should go to jail too, but not as long because she was involved but she didn't stab her." "She just stood there and watched." "♪ ♪" "Angie Geyser on video:" "Hi,Morgan." "(babbles) Angie:" "Hi, Morgan." "(discordant notes)" "Angie:" "Morganwasasurprise." "And I didn't know how to feel about it at first... butI knewthatIlovedher." "Yay!" "Angie:" "Andshechanged ourlivesdrastically andforthebetter." "(babbles)" "Angie:" "Morgan'salwaysbeenquirky, andshe'salwaysmarched tothebeatofherowndrum." "Evenfrom-- fromlittleon ... she didn't care what people think about her, which I think is a wonderful trait, especially for-- for a girl." "Girls are usually so-- so self-conscious and concerned about-- about what others think of them, and Morgan was never like that." "You know, she just..." "(sighs)" "She always just did her own thing, and if people didn't like it, well, that was their problem." "(chuckles)" "Kitties and puppies aren't wild animals." "Angie:" "No, that's right." "They're not." "They're pets." "Angie:" "Ihadacamerainherface fora goodportion ofherchildhood, soI thinkshegot sick ofitsometimes." "(mimics meowing)" "Shegotareal miniaturebabygrandpiano forChristmasoneyear." "(playing music, singing) Andshewouldsit there forquitealongtime , justmakingup  sweetlittlesongs." "Andwetried tocaptureas manyofthem  aswecouldonvideo, butusuallyas soon assherealizedthat wewerepayingattention orrecordingher, shewouldstop." "(chuckles)" "♪ They'll stay stray forever ♪" "(crying, sniffles)" "One thing about Morgan that always struck us... as a little..." "odd was that she... (sighs) She didn't react the way that you would expect her to react... like at the movies." "Like, if something bad happened to the main character, she... she wouldn't have empathy for them." "♪ ♪ Bambi, come here!" "Look." "New spring grass." "Angie:" "Irememberwatching"Bambi" withherforthe firsttime ." "We were so worried to watch it with her, because we thought she was gonna be so upset when-- when the mother died." "♪ ♪ Bambi, quick!" "The thicket!" "(gunshot)" "Faster!" "Faster, Bambi!" "Don't look back!" "Keep running!" "Keep running!" "(gunshot)" "But the mother died, and Morgan just said," ""Run Bambi, run!" "Get out of there, save yourself!"" "(laughs)Youknow?" "Andshewasn'tsad aboutit." "♪ ♪ (panting) We made it!" "We made it, Mother!" "We..." "Mother!" "And I could think of..." "(sniffles) a lot of other examples along those lines where she hasn't reacted in the way that we would expect a little girl to react." "♪ ♪ (static)" "Angie:" "WewereawarethatMorgan was interested in Slenderman." "(distorted scream) (static)" "WhileI wasn'tthrilled aboutherinterest," "Ididn'treallysee  theharmin it either." "We never thought for a moment that she..." "She could possibly believe that it was real." "When I was Morgan's age, I" "I remember biking home from the library with Stephen King's "It."" "You know, so I liked that sort of thing too when I was her age, and I think most kids her age do like scary stories and horror movies and... scary stories on the Internet, you know?" "So, that's all that we-- that's all that we thought that it was." "I just can't imagine her..." "I can't imagine her coming up with that plan on her own." "♪ My bonnie... ♪" "♪ My bonnie lies over the ocean ♪" "♪ My bonnie lies over the sea ♪" "♪ My bonnie lies over the ocean ♪" "♪ So bring back my bonnie to me ♪" "(birds chirping)" "♪ Bring back, bring back ♪" "♪ Oh, bring back my bonnie to me ♪" "♪ Bring back!" "♪" "♪ Bring back ♪ ♪ Back ♪" "♪ Oh, bring back my bonnie to me ♪ ♪ Bonnie... me ♪" "(mouse clicking)" "Bill Weier:" "She lost a tooth, so the tooth fairy gave her a dollar." "It was that tooth." "I was telling her-- I was like, "A dollar?"" "I said, "I only ever got quarters from the tooth fairy."" "(chuckles) She was happy." "The tooth fairy gave her a dollar." "(mouse clicks)" "This was the last video I have." "This was at the end of her sixth grade year for school." "Choir:" "♪ Hush, hush, somebody's callin' my name ♪" "♪ Hush!" "Somebody's callin' my name ♪" "♪ Hush, hush, somebody's callin' my name ♪" "♪ Oh my Lord, oh my Lord, what should I do?" "♪" "(Bill sighs)" "Yes, this is Anissa's very pink bedroom." "At the time that we painted this, pink was the thing." "(purring)" "Anissa's his person." "Tiger is Anissa's cat." "After Anissa left... he would come up here and he'd spend a lot of time just walking around, nosing around, looking for Anissa." "You know, nobody uses... the bed while she's gone." "I don't know, maybe the cat does, but..." "I guess it just made more sense to take everything apart and wash it and when she comes home, it's all clean and ready to go." "It's just a matter of when." "She would come in here to practice choir." "She did projects that she would have to FaceTime with two or three different kids from this flight academy class she was in." "'Cause I'd pop in on a regular basis." "I'd just you know, "What are you doing?"" "I see a face on the iPad." ""Okay, who are you talking to?"" "You know, "What are you guys working on?"" "And then you know, most days... you know, 7:30, "Anissa, you're done with your iPad." "Shut it down, come downstairs, be with your family."" "And she never argued." "People have asked me if I saw any signs in my daughter and this and that." "And I'm just like, "No." "I knew what she was doing in here." "Because when she wasn't doing her choir practice, that door was open."" "You know, all of the kids-- not just Anissa, all of them-- they know... there's no closed doors in this house unless you're... fresh out of the shower or getting ready for bed." "So... for people to say..." "I wasn't involved..." "Apart from sitting in the corner and watching every move she makes," "I don't know how much more involved I could've been." "♪ ♪" "My focus is Anissa... not Slenderman." "♪ ♪" "(cameras clicking) (chains clinking)" "Forensics man on video:" "Andwhatis yourname?" "Anissa Weier." "Anissa, okay." "(camera clicking)" "Okay, Just kind of... give me a look." "Give me a look." "♪ ♪" "(man whispers) Morgan." "How you doing?" "Morgan:" "Fine." "Man:" "Come on up." "(forensicsmanspeaking onvideo)" "(Morgan speaks) Morgan, all right." "(people whispering)" "(Morgan speaks on video)" "(Casey speaking)" "(Morgan speaking)" "(Casey speaks)" "(Anissa speaks)" "(Trussoni speaks)" "Hmm." "Okay." "Bailiff:" "Allrise,please." "Judge Bohren:" "I thank you." "Please be seated." "Court will call the matter, State of Wisconsin versus Morgan E. Geyser and also State versus Anissa E. Weier." "Good morning." "The case is here today on a number of matters." "The first matter I'll address is the issue of... competency." "(Trussonispeaking onvideo)" "(Anissa speaks) They're glad-- they're" "(crying)" "(Casey speaking)" "(Morgan speaks)" "(Morgan speaks on video) (Caseyspeaks)" "Morgan on video:" "Uhh... (matter-of-factly)" "(Trussoni speaks)" "(crying) So..." "♪ ♪" "(no discernible dialog)" "There was a sleepover the prior night for Morgan's 12th birthday." "We knew that there was Anissa, Morgan, and a third girl that we've never met... and that they were all at Morgan's house." "Angie:" "MorganandAnissahave onlyknowneachother sincetheystarted sixthgrade." "Theymetbecausethey-- theyrodethesamebus." "♪ ♪" "We were so happy that Morgan had made a good friend so-- so close, someone else in the neighborhood." "(sniffles) We were-- we were so happy for her... to have someone to play with." "♪ ♪" "(Trussonispeaks onvideo)" "(sniffles)" "Uh-huh." "Okay." "My name is Bella, and I was nominated to do the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS by..." "Morgan and Bella have known each other since kindergarten, and they've been best friends since fourth grade." "Man:" "Are you guys ready?" "I guess." "Man:" "Let's go." "One, two, three." "One, two, three." "(woman moans)" "(screams) Oh my god!" "(Casey speaking)" "(Morgan speaks)" "Umm..." "(crying)" "Okay." "♪ ♪" "(Anissa speaking on video)" "(Casey speaks)" "(Morgan speaks)" "(Trussonispeaks onvideo)" "Anissa:" "Umm..." "♪ ♪" "(clears throat)" "♪ ♪" "(Anissa speaking)" "(Morgan speaks matter-of-factly)" "(sniffles)" "♪ ♪" "(Skype startup noise)" "(ringing)" "Irene:" "Hello, Dr. Zipes!" "I" " I don't have-- I-- uh, wait." "(clicks) Hello?" "Actually, the quality seems fine on my end." "And yeah, my Skype is just not having it today." "You-- have we started now?" "Irene:" "Yes, yes." "When-- when did we start?" "Man:" "Hello." "Hello." "Man:" "How are you?" "Good." "Man:" "Who are you Skyping with?" "Someone" " I'm getting interviewed for a documentary." "Okay, then-- what-- so let's start-- start with the question then." "♪ ♪" "Trevor Blank:" "Slendermanis themodern-dayboogeyman." "Because it's faceless, because it's quiet, because it doesn't speak words, it'sopento alot  ofinterpretation andopen toa lotof possibilities andtoalot ofprojection." "Itvaries frompersonto person astowhat Slendermanactuallyis ." "♪ ♪" "He'sthecreature thatlivesin my closet." "He'stheguy inthewindowlesswhitevan." "Thefacelessstranger whokidnapskids." "Itencapsulates, symbolically, alotof theseother kindofsocietalfears thatwe'vehad foragesandages andkindof conveniently wrapsthemup  and makes it really malleable." "Because,really, Slendermancanbe whomever youwanthimtobe." "(mouse clicks)" "♪ ♪" "(keyboard clacking)" "(mouse clicks)" "Blank:" "Wecanempiricallylookback  andfindoutwhere Slendermanwascreated." "Itwascreated in2009by EricKnudsen underthescreenname "VictorSurge"" "aspart ofa Photoshopcontest totryto createsomething thatlookedreal thatreallywasn't." "Brad Kim:" "Urban legends on the Internet has been a thing for decades." "♪ ♪" "Therewasalready abaseaudience that was ready for a globalized project to kind of build a myth." "Itactuallybegan withthegames thatspunoff fromSlenderman." "♪ ♪" "It'ssoheavily visuallyoriented that it's replicable without really having to understand too much cultural context." "(footsteps) (crickets chirping)" "Kim:" "Andfromthere, itspread toeveryavailableplatform andmediumon theweb ." "Tumblr..." "DeviantArt..." "YouTube... andalsothe4chan's ParanormalBoard." "Allofthesewebsiteshave  areallystrongaffinity withfanartingeneral." "(mouse clicks) (man breathes heavily, speaks German)" "(speaks German)" ""Slender is coming"?" "(speaks German)" "Kim:" "YouTube was theinternationalhub for non-English speakers to kind of break their way into the myth." "(man speaks Spanish)" "(man 2 speaks Spanish)" "(man 2 breathing hard)" "(speaks Spanish)" "(Kike speaks)" "(grunts) (distortion)" "(retches) (mouse clicks)" "♪ ♪" "Kim:" "Creepypastais thisgenericterm for horror stories that gets copied then pasted because it's good." "Asitspreads, peoplestarttweaking somepartsof thestory orpickup where theyleftoff." "Thesearestories thatbranchedout of the main canon of Slenderman." "(mouse clicks)" "(pianomusicplaying)" "Woman:" ""Oh,shouldItravel throughthewoods," ""OrshouldInot  wishingI would?" ""Foraboveme  lurkswithinthetrees" ""Noonecouldhear mydeathlyscreams" ""Thepalestman, theblackestsuit" ""Bigger than the tallest brute" ""Sixblackarms willgrabyouup" ""Orstalkyou tillyoujustgiveup" ""He'llleaveyourbody nottoeat" "Buttostaple yourcorpseuponatree ."" "(static)" ""Feartheman, theSlenderman" "Forhecando whatnoonecan ."" "♪ ♪" "Blank:" "Slendermankind ofrepresentsan opportunity to see where people are nervous about certain things and what excites them and what brings them together, because it changes." "It changes based on who's telling the story." "♪ ♪" "Oftenintheadultworld weforgethowmuch itsucksto be akid ." "Slendermancanalsobeseen  asa guardianangel." "Slendermanis theGrimReaper butwithaheart." "Thesepicturesarenot  somuchhimshowingup ontheplayground tosnatchkidsaway, buttorescuethem." "Storieslikethiscan be apowerfulaphrodisiacfor-- forsomebodywhoislonely oristroubled, oristryingtofind  theirwayin theworld." "♪ ♪" "Slenderman has this entire community of people online who are feeding into the narrative and creating their own versions of it." "It's constantly-- it's exponentially growing." "♪ ♪" "Richard Dawkins:" "That's the definition ofa goodmeme." "Inhumanculture, if it's copied from one brain to another, that's a meme." "Hi, my name is Valerie, and I've decided to do the Ice Bucket Challenge." "I'm doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge." "I'm here to join the people bringing attention to Lou Gehrig's disease." "Dawkins:" "Itcanbe an idea." "It can be a tune." "It can be a style of dancing." "Woman:" "Tired?" "Cameraman:" "What do you think he's doing?" "Planking." "Cameraman:" "Oh, you know?" "Woman:" "Yeah, I do." "Cameraman:" "Yes!" "Woman:" "I am from the Internet." "(men laugh)" "Dawkins:" "TheInternetprovides avery,veryfast, efficient,universal, worldwidemedium formemesto spread." "That'll never catch on." "(anchors laugh) No doubt." "Dawkins:" "Theremaybe  somememesthatspread likea veryrapidepidemic andthendieaway." "But others may have strong persistence." "(humming)" "People are captivated by Slenderman andwishto passonimages ortomodifyimagesofhim." "(distortion, static)" "This horrifying story of two girls who thought that it was their duty to Slenderman to go and kill someone." "Well,that'swhat Icallpower." "That's very substantial power, very horrific power." "(static)" "(clicking)" "Jack Zipes:" "Unconsciously, Slendermanstems froma traditionthat-- thatgoesway,way back." "To a great extent, the Brothers Grimm collected tales that deal with what I would call universal human struggles that we continue to have today." "I think that's one of the reasons why people are responding to this tale, and they're telling their own versions, their own horror stories aboutwhatis happening intheworldtoday." "Slendermanis ataleaboutacharacter, a strange weird character, who may feed upon children." "Itmademe thinkofa legend thatJacob andWilhelmGrimmcollected called" ThePiedPiper ofHamelin."" "Manyyearsagoatown was beingdevastatedby rats-- inthegutters..." "onthestreets... inthecellars." "ThePiedPipercomes outofnowhere." "Andhe'saveryodd,  strange-lookingperson, buthehasaflute orsometypeofpipe  thatheplays." "The man said, "If you want me to get rid of the rats, you must pay me."" "Sotheysaid,"Yes, asmuchas youwant ifyoucanget rid  oftherats."" "ThePiperbegan blowingonthepipe." "Theratsbeganfollowing." "♪ ♪" "ThePiperhadall the rats jumpintotheriver." "Butthemayor andthecouncilmen cheathim." "AndthePipersaid, "Youknow," ""thereare othertunes Icanpipe" ""andwaysthat Icanrepayyou  ina waythat youwillneverforget."" "♪ ♪" "SothePipertook hispipeto hislipsagain andhebeganpiping." "(children playing)" "Thepeoplefroze, butthechildren followedhim." "Therewasan opening, asuddenopening inthemountain." "Andallthechildrenheaded towardthisopening." "Andasthelastoneentered, themountainclosed, andthePiper wentinsideas well." "(booms)" "Dependingonthetimes andthepersonwho is tellingtheirversion of" ThePiedPiper,"" "hecanbe  manydifferentthings." "(squeaking) (stomps)" "(polka music plays)" "(lively music plays)" "(hypnotic music plays)" "So he is a very mysterious figure." "We don't know whether he's evil or good." "We don't know whether he's going to do anything to these children." "The children never return." "Nobody ever hears about them." "(ominous music playing)" "ButthePiedPiper doesliveon ." "♪ ♪" "(Casey speaks)" "(Morgan speaks)" "Umm..." "(cardriving)" "(Angiesighs)" "It'salmostlike shewaslivingawhole notherlifeinsideher head that we just-- that we just didn't know about." "It's hard with kids because... they don't necessarily know how to differentiate between fantasy and reality to begin with." "So, it's just hard to know... where-- where to draw the line." "Where does that become... abnormal?" "So even though, you know, looking back, maybe there were some signs." "It's everything in retrospect." "It's been two months to the day on the calendar that she's been in Washington County Juvenile Detention Center." "The first day was rough." "You know, you get in there... you have to learn all your check-in procedures and everything." "You know, you get back there, and you don't know what to expect." "There's you, there's a pane of glass with metal bars behind it, and then..." "there's our daughter." "That's how it works." "(Trussoni speaks)" "(Anissa speaks)" "(mouse clicks)" "(mouse wheel clicking)" "(clicks) (clatters)" "(keyboard clacks)" "(mouse clicks)" "♪ ♪ This is the first time we are trying this." "We got him something." "He doesn't know yet." "It's a little mouse." "You can see him in there." "You ready?" "It's the circle of life, okay?" "Right, Cole?" "Yep." "It's just like "The Lion King." (laughs) Yeah." "Woman:" "Let's see how he reacts." "It's the same color as the-- as the bathtub." "Look, baby." "Look, baby, look." "See if he notices it." "(mouse clicks)" "(heavy metal music playing)" "(music stops) Man:" "My voice is going to take you to a very calm and peaceful place." "♪ ♪ (distortion, static)" "Man:" "So this part, striking into any soft tissue in the body-- the eyes, the cheeks, cut right through the blood and air vessels into the throat, get it in and out, in and out, in and out." "Kids:" "Meow, meow, meow!" "Man:" "So with the first one, why do you think the pig passed out when the kitten was put on it?" "(mouse clicking) Woman:" "He's playing with it." "♪ Dog goes woof, cat goes meow, bird goes-- ♪" "Ah!" "Why do you stick a baby in the blender feet first?" "(demonic voice) So you can see the expression on it's face." "(maniacal laughter)" "(mouse clicks) (helicopter whirring)" "(keyboard clacks)" "(mouse clicks) (music plays)" "Shh." "(pounds)" "(slurping)" "I don't know if I should say, "I hope you enjoyed it,"" "but there's the circle of life for you." "Talk to you later." "Thanks for watching." "♪ ♪" "(mouse clicks)" "♪ ♪" "(water dripping)" "Kristi:" "Ever since she got that iPad, she liked to spend a lot of private time up in her room and... she watched a lot of things that were... funny to her." "Nothing that was gross, or depressing, and emotionally degrading..." "She liked-- that iPad just gave her a way kind of not to-- to socialize with the family." "And I totally... regret the iPad." "Anissa showed me a picture once." "She was in her bedroom, and I went up to see what she was doing, and I looked." "It was a picture of this Slenderman character and Jack Skellington." "♪ ♪" "At the time, it doesn't seem to be anything inherently dangerous." "I had no inklings that I would need to research this further." "The iPads will be moving into elementary school levels this year." "So, at least, our fifth-grade son is going to be coming home with one." "His own." "Tom Haynes:" "So this is the yearbook from Anissa's fifth grade year." "(chuckles) And this is what Anissa wrote." "it says, "You're like a second dad to me."" "So that was really sweet." "It's kind of tough looking back on it, 'cause if she felt that strong, you know, just... maybe I could have done something else." "Anissawasdefinitely oneofthebiggest outliersI 'vehad justbecauseshehad  nosolidconnections withother 4thand5th-graders." "Anissawoulddefinitelycry  onceeverycoupleweeks, Iwouldwanttosay." "Mostlyabout...kids beingmeanto heratschool." "Shewouldn't beableto containherself infrontof thewholeclass, andsometimes shewouldjustcry ." "So other kids were aware of her... emotions, and being upset." "And there's times she would come in from lunch/recess and cry about not having friends." "I've guessed that Anissa made a connection with Morgan andwashappy thattheybothwere intoSlenderman, washappythat shemadeanew friend, shareda connection, sharedinterest, and it may have spiraled out of control from there." "(classical score playing)" "(no discernible dialog)" "(mouse clicks) (keyboard clacks)" "♪ ♪" "Abigail Baird:" "Youcouldn'tsetup abettersystemtofail" "In terms of "No one at school likes you," ""but here's this open-ended monster who will embrace you."" "Theworsttime tobesociallyisolated isthetimewhen yourbrainandbody arebeggingforcamaraderie, forkinship, whichisadolescence." "It'sthehardesttime tobealone." "Ithinkin theabsence ofsocialcontact, theInternet cansometimesserve asa peerin away , ora peergroup." "Thosetwogirls ina tight-knitgroup ofeightfriends," "Idon'tthink thiswould'vehappened, becausetheywouldn't haveonlybeentalking toeachother andtheywouldn't havebeenrelyingsoheavily oninformation fromtheInternet." "(engine starts)" "Kristi:" "BillandIseparated inthesummerof2012 ." "Itwasmy decision." "Iaskedforadivorce." "Butwhenasituation gotreallybad, hewaswillingtostill bethereandstuff." "(turn signal clicking)" "She'snotallowedtosee herbrotheror sister." "She'snotallowed toseeanyauntsoruncles, orcousinsor anything, soI wantedto have asmanypeople asshecouldhave asoftenas possible." "I try to bring her mentally out of the environment and try to bring her some sunshine in her day." "But then when I leave, I kind of feel..." "I feel happy that I was able to see her and... make her smile for a few minutes in a day." "But on the other hand, I'm still kind of sad that I'm leaving without my daughter, and..." "The drive home is sometimes heart-breaking... but..." "I know that I'll be coming up and seeing her in a couple days anyways, and I'll just repeat the performance and" "(sniffles) and hopefully, someday, this might be my last trip and-- and..." "And then she'll be home for good." "But that might be a while off." "(musical ringtone plays)" "Computer:" "You have a prepaid call from..." "Anissa:" "Anissa..." "Computer:" "An inmate at..." "Man:" "Washington County Jail." "Computer:" "This call will be recorded and subject to monitoring at any time." "You may begin speaking now." "(Anissa speaks)" "Hello, Anissa." "So, how was your day?" "Yeah?" "Define "pretty good."" "Do you know who's sitting here?" "Yep, Tyler's sitting here." "Tyler:" "Hi!" "(Bill laughs) How are you?" "I've been... pretty good despite the cold." "Hi, Ani!" "(laughs)" "What's up?" "Anissa!" "Anissa." "We can all tell you're a little spun up." "Are you excited to be talking to everybody?" "Yeah?" "Hey, hey hey!" "Anissa!" "(laughter)" "Dial it back a notch." "So, besides what you've already like mentioned, what's up with you?" "Okay." "Anissa:" "Yeah." "Just don't smile too much." "Computer:" "One minute remaining." "All right, we've got one minute, so you have a good night." "Love you too." "All right?" "And I will see you tomorrow." "So-- all right." "Computer:" "Thank you for using IC solutions." "Goodbye." "And there you have it." "♪ ♪" "(Tiger meows)" "♪ ♪" "(murmuring)" "(chainsclinking)" "(cameras clicking)" "the whole Slenderman thing... startedbecause Anissanevertalkedabout anythinglikethat." "Nobodyevertalked aboutSlenderman." "Unless she was, like, constantly Internet surfing, she never really showed me anything that was bad... or anything scary." "She-- she is easily frightened, though." "(woman coughs) (camera clicking)" "Maybe she did it because she wanted to be noticed." "Because, honestly, at her school" "I didn't know that she didn't have many friends." "She told me that she had lots of friends, lots of guys liked her, and a bunch of-- and she was accepted, and she was having a great time at school." "But...shewas constantlypickedon , and she never really fit in." "She was a follower." "Bailiff:" "All rise." "Bohren:" "Okay, thank you." "Please be seated." "Maggie:" "Ithinksomekids arejust... big believers." "They can't help but believe everything they hear." "(rustles)" "Officer:" "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?" "Yes, I do." "Attorney:" "In this case were you assigned to interview the victim, Payton Leutner?" "Yes, I was." "Attorney:" "At some point, your discussion got into the area of a birthday party that was planned for Morgan?" "Payton said that the birthday party had been planned for several weeks, and it was for May 30th, and that they had planned to go do Skateland and sleep over at Morgan's house." "Angie:" "Theywerebeing normallittlegirls." "Theywererunning upanddownthe stairs, holdinghands andgiggling." "Therewasno ... indication that anything was-- was off or that we had anything to" "to be worried about." "After Skateland, they came back to Morgan's house and they went into the basement." "(speaks matter-of-factly)" "And we-- we woke up in the morning, and we had donuts and strawberries for breakfast, and everything was very normal." "The girls were laughing and... having a good time." "And they asked if they could go to the park, and I didn't think anything of it." "I said, "Yeah, of course you can go to the park."" "And, you know, Morgan said goodbye and told me she loved me." "♪ ♪ (breathes shakily)" "(Trussonispeaks)" "(Anissa speaks)" "(Trussonispeaks)" "(Anissa speaks)" "After playing on the playground equipment for a while, they went into the bathroom, all three of them." "(Caseyspeaks onvideo)" "(Morgan speaks)" "(Caseyspeaks)" "(Anissa speaking on video)" "♪ ♪" "She didn't want to go to sleep, so she didn't sit there with her eyes closed, and at some point, Anissa hit the front of her head and caused the back of her head to... slam against the wall." "Basically." "(Anissa speaks)" "And Morgan said, "I thought we agreed that you were going to do this."" "Attorney:" "Did Payton tell you anything about what Payton was thinking about that?" "I don't think she understood what was going on." "(Anissa speaking on video)" "(Trussonispeaking onvideo)" "(pulling tape)" "(gasps) Thank you!" "Boy:" "Hey, that's what I wanted." "Ooh." "(boy gasps) Angie:" "It's a super-fancy touch screen one." "I want that one." "It's already charged... and there's already some books on it for you." "Wow." "(boy mumbles)" "Can we put it together?" "Mm-hmm." "What do you think?" "Pretty cool?" "Yeah?" "Angie:" "Ihadtheconversation withMorgan-- thebirdsandthe bees conversation." "Iexplainedabout thechangesthatyou  gothroughduringpuberty, andI explained aboutgettingyourperiod." "AndI finish, andshelooksatme, andshegoes," ""Mommy, I don't think I believe you."" "(laughs) "That doesn't really happen."" "(camera clicks, beeps)" "(Angie mutters) Morgan:" "Thankyou!" "(Angie chuckles) You're welcome!" "(cameraclicks,beeps)" "Angie:" "Morgandidbelieve inSanta, theToothFairy, andtheEasterBunny, andactuallybelieved inSantauntilshe was 11." "(chuckles) And I guess I just thought," ""What parent tells their child that Santa's not real?" "Who's-- who's in a hurry for their child to grow up?"" "♪ ♪" "Tyler:" "Therearealot  ofstrangethings intheworld thatwejustcan 'texplain." "Sowejustmakeupthings totryto helpexplainthem ." "Tobelievein something" "I don't know, the Loch Ness Monster or the boogeyman-- isn't... that hard to believe that people actually do believe it." "♪ ♪" "Youcan'tsayfor sure thatitis realornot." "AndI dobelieve thattheydidbelieve that it was real." "♪ ♪" "Jacqueline Woolley:" "What is it about certain kinds ofstorybooks thatmakekidsmore orlesslikelytobelieve thatthey'rereal?" "What is it about aspects of the Internet that affects whether kids think things on it are real or not real?" "Ithinktheconcept ofwhat'srealhas always beenprettymessy." "Technologyiscreating thesenewsituations inwhichit 'sbecoming evenmessier." "♪ ♪" "Thesetwogirls, maybetheywereboth strongbelievers, butthenthefact thattheywerebothtogether was creating an even stronger context for belief." "Sortoflike "TheBelievers'Club."" "There's this big fear that if I stop believing I won't get the presents." "(static)" "Whatisthebenefit ofbeingabeliever?" "Feelinglikeyou'respecial, you'rea partof something, thatyoucanbecome apartof justbybelieving." "That'sa loteasier thana lotof otherclubs, youknow, especiallyatthatage ." "Butallyouneedtodo  fortheSlendermanclub isjustbelieve." "♪ ♪" "Blank:" "If there's one thing the cult ofSlendermanis about, it'saboutmaking itallbelievable, especiallybyremaining unverifiable." "And that's really kind of how folk belief works." "Becauseyoucan'tprove beyonda shadowof adoubt thatSlenderman isfakeor real." "(mouse clicking)" "Boy:" "Hey,guys,it 'sShane." "So, ever since I found out about Slenderman, he's been haunting my dreams, like every single dream." "And I'm really scared, so I'm going to show you a picture" "I'm" " I'm just going to show you some pictures that I got of him." "There it is." "Look at this." "Look right there in the background." "Right there." "Boy:" "See, it's Slenderman." "Shane:" "That's my-- that's my sister when she was young." "And then we found that in the background." "Oh, it's really scary." "Um, Bye." "(mouse clicks) (birds chirping)" "Cartwheel." "(boy clears throat) Round off." "Boy:" "Oh my god, my stomach is killing me." "Back walkover." "Crappy back walkover." "Boy 2:" "Mine-- ugh." "Mine, too." "Back walkover." "(boy burps) Oh my god." "Round off." "Boy:" "Sam, we need to do-- Sam, we need to do this later." "Can you go a little bit longer?" "Boy:" "No, we'll just stop this one and then we'll... and then we'll just do another one later, 'cause my st-- oh my god, I feel like I'm about to throw up right now." "All right, just hurry up and do one more." "Boy:" "What the fuck?" "Oh my God!" "Run!" "Run!" "Run!" "Run!" "Oh my god, run!" "No, run!" "(shouting)" "Hope:" "The moment you know about him, heknowsaboutyou ." "(girl whimpers) Boy:" "Oh my god, I'm so scared right now." "Hope:" "Likethere'sno way tosummonhim, butthere'sno way togethimto, like,stop  followingyouaround." "(mouse clicks)" "Iremember whenI waslike13,  one of my birthday parties, we had this big plan me and three of my friends were all going to get together, we were going to bring our cameras and sneak out into the woods" "and try to find him with our cameras." "And I was out there for like two hours." "If I encountered him..." "I would explain myself and be like," ""I don't think you're that bad." ""Personally, I think you're kind of cool." "I wouldn't mind doing what you're doing."" "♪ ♪" "SinceI had nosociallifebackthen , basicallymywholelife wasontheInternet." "Andsince itwasthere,like,24/7 ..." "I would just gradually get more and more attached to it." "Andthething thatkeptcomingup wouldbeSlenderman." "Back then I believed, like every fiber in my body, he was real." "♪ ♪" "(footsteps)" "(mouse clicks)" "All right, and the game has started." "(crickets chirping)" "(ominous music playing)" "Dawkins:" "If everybody knows that is Slenderman, then I think that's sufficient to define it as a replicator." "(paper rustles)" "Genetic viruses spread from body to body." "Andso...amemethat  hasgreatspreadability... deservestobe called avirusof themind." "Girl:" "Ooh!" "A note." "Girl 2:" "No!" "No, I don't wanna get it." "No, you have to get it." "You have to get it." "You have to." "You get it." "Then he's gonna come." "Get it." "Okay." "Just keep walking." "Just keep walking." "Why?" "Because he's finding you!" "Dawkins:" "Avirusof themindspreads bybeinglistenedtoorseen bythesenseorgans." "♪ ♪ (footsteps)" "When one brain picks it up, it will have a tendency to pass it on to another brain and another brain and so on, so it will spread exponentially." "(musical sting) (girls scream, laugh)" "(cries)" "(footsteps)" "Dawkins:" "Andit'sempiricalfact thatthishappens." "The Slenderman case is a very powerful example of peer-to-peer horizontal transmission." "It does happen." "(musical sting)" "(static)" "(keys jingling)" "Bill:" "Meow, meow, kitty." "(meows) That's right, come here." "Were you sleeping as usual?" "Yes, you were." "(meows) (mimics meow)" "Stand up straight." "I think you should wear your badge from Webelos Camp... because there's only two people in your whole pack that have that badge." "Aiden:" "Okay." "Bill:" "All right." "All your pins are secure?" "Aiden:" "Yes." "Bill:" "You don't want to be losing them." "Right?" "Aiden:" "Yeah." "Life is good." "You're all geared up, all right?" "Aiden:" "Okay." "Get ready to put that thing away." "All right?" "Okay." "Bill:" "I don't want to get any grief about," ""Oh I just got to finish this level," or whatever else." "All right?" "(mutters) Aiden?" "Yeah." "Yay?" "Are you okay, Aiden?" "Aiden:" "Yeah." "You sound a little sniffley." "Thiswholeevent, fromstartto finish, hasbeenatragedy." "But you have to be angry at the situation." "I'm angry at the situation... and my daughter is not the one... that spent upwards of seven days in the hospital recovering from this." "And I'm angry about the situation." "So, if I'm angry about it... you know, this other family sure as hell has a right to be angry about it." "You know, they could... you know, slam the door in my face, or, you know, punch me in the face and knock me on my ass and you know... they would probably be justified in doing so." "I'm sure they have a lot of the same questions I do." "Attorney 2:" "Did you come to any conclusions about Anissa, as far as a diagnosis?" "The predisposing characteristics that... made her susceptible to the delusional disorder..." "It's a diminished ability to determine what's real and what's not real." "A lot of people have varying degrees of this." "Adults may have, simply, eccentric religious or spiritual beliefs or... conspiratorial beliefs or things like that and live out their life with no problems at all." "I've done quite a bit of research on the early stages of psychopathic personality in adolescents over the last 20 years." "Attorney 2:" "Based on your experiences and testing of Anissa, she does not carry that particular diagnosis." "No." "She doesn't have-- she has, really, no characteristics of a psychopath or a sociopath or anything like that." "Attorney 2:" "Okay." "♪ ♪" "Fisher:" "MorganandAnissacameout ofthebathroom." "Payton said that she didn't want to play hide and seek, but Morgan said that the next game that they played could be her choice." "♪ ♪" "Payton said that..." "Anissa pulled her deeper and deeper into the woods." "(Caseyspeaks onvideo)" "And then..." "Anissa says, "Now!"" "And Anissa turns her back." "Morgan got on top of Payton's legs." "She sat on her legs, and then she got her face real close to Payton and whispered in her ear, "I'm so sorry."" "♪ ♪" "And then started stabbing her." "Attorney:" "What, ultimately, was Morgan diagnosed with?" "The final diagnosis, both in the psychological report and in my report are schizophrenia, unspecified, 295.90... oppositional defiant disorder, 313.81... and bronchial asthma, mild, intermittent, J45.2." "♪ ♪" "Attorney:" "What is schizophrenia?" "Casimir:" "Schizophreniais oneofthemostserious andoneof themoststudied mentalillnesses ofhumanbeings." "Itisapsychoticillness." "It'sthroughacombination ofgeneticpredisposition andthenstress placedontheperson tobegin manifestingsymptoms." "♪ ♪" "Patients lose track of reality in a number of ways." "One would be hallucinations." "One could hear voices, one could see visions, one could feel things crawling on them." "Delusions, on the other hand, don't have to do with sensing something, they have to do with a thought." "So, for example, believing that Slenderman is real is a delusion." "Saying that you saw Slenderman is a visual hallucination." "(leaves rustling) (Robert Niesen laughs)" "Is the pile getting bigger?" "Ha!" "(laughs)" "Diana Niesen:" "Jumping in the leaves." "Robert:" "And that's one of my favorites." "I raked up a bunch of leaves in the back yard and... she came flying in." "(laughs) Diana:" "Nice action shot." "Diana:" "Yeah, it's hard for us to imagine that she was having problems." "It's hard to process." "None of us..." "saw this coming." "Angie:" "Morganrecallshaving hallucinations asearlyas three." "She remembers... seeing ghosts at night, as young as three, thatwouldbiteher  andpullherhair." "Butfrom whatI understand, forthemostpart theywerefriendly,too ." "Sheevensaidthatshe- - shetriedto tellus aboutitonce, andthatwe justtoldher togobacktobed,  butI don'thave anyrecollectionof that." "Andreally, howoftendo yourchildren tellyouat bedtimethat they'reseeingsomething orhearingsomething whenthey'rethatage ?" ""A monster's in my closet," or "something's under my bed,"" "you know, just because they don't want to go to bed." "It's hard because I haven't been able to discuss these things with Morgan, because she's been incarcerated... for the entire time that I've" " I've known... that she's-- that she's had these symptoms." "Brooke Lundbohm:" "She expressed the ability to see and hear things that other people are not able to hear or see." "Things like unicorns." "She at one point digressed into fairly rambling discussion about a student in her class being a pegasus." "When I saw her last week, a few days before," "Snape had come to visit her and kept her up until 3:00 in the morning, by Morgan's report." "Attorney:" "Snape?" "Snape." "Attorney:" "Who is that?" "A "Harry Potter" character." "She also will say not just that she's heard things, but that since as early as three, she's had some sensory-perceptual distortions." "She might see a person change slightly or see colors." "She doesn't..." "have much concern because, wherever she is, she will use Vulcan mind control to make herself feel, to make herself believe whatever she likes." "And so, even under very stressful circumstances, she doesn't feel the stress because of this-- what she described to be Vulcan mind control." "Attorney 2:" "How about her-- her cell?" "I would consider her cell disorganized." "She has papers scattered about the floor." "Attorney 2:" "Have you ever suggested picking them up?" "Officer Simon:" "Yes, I have." "And she stated that she liked the papers there because they made it feel less empty." "Attorney 2:" "And she is in the room alone?" "Officer Simon:" "Correct." "She said, "Seeing my friends," ""none of these things are dangerous." "These friends can't disappear." "They're important to me."" "Attorney:" "Was she referring to real world friends or fictional friends?" "Fictional, I believe." "Attorney 2:" "She's not allowed to hug her family or touch them?" "Not in our facility." "Attorney 2:" "Right." "She made clear that her primary concern was with her relationship with Slenderman, and she felt like if she says the wrong thing, if she somehow upsets Slenderman, not only hers but her family's lives could be in danger." "With childhood schizophrenia, almost everyone develops, eventually, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms." "What's unique about Morgan's circumstance is that a severe course is so predictable." "Well, we knew her diagnosis before we went to meet them at the hospital." "We had a conference call with two of the doctors, so we were-- we were prepared." "And the reason that we all went up there, actually, was so that we could tell Morgan what her diagnosis was." "And we thought that it would be helpful for her to know that her father also... had the same mental illness, because we had never told her previously that Matt had schizophrenia." "We were very worried about the way that she might react to learning that she has schizophrenia because Morgan-- Morgan's a very smart girl, and she's been reading..." "Matt:" "Which makes me think that she knew." "Yeah." "I think when they told her, she was probably like..." "Not surprised." "..."Well, that's what I would've guessed... if I had to diagnose myself."" "Angie:" "What I think is that Morgan knows that other people don't see her hallucinations, but they're still very real to her." "Like, in her head they are real, and they're there with her." "They're there." "Angie:" "But I think that she knows that other people don't see them." "Otherwise, why would she make an attempt to..." "Cover it up." "Mm-hmm." "Angie:" "...hide them from us, exactly." "It's because she doesn't want to lose them." "She's afraid they would be taken from her." "Angie:" "This is the doll house, or the components for a doll house, that Morgan made while she was housed at Washington County Juvenile Detention Center." "And she just put so much... detail into it, it's amazing." "She's not allowed to have scissors, so all of these-- all of these tiny little pieces she ripped by hand." "This is a television, and these are some of her little cartoon characters that she likes to draw." "This actually, I think, is a character that's modeled after Spock." "When I watched her do a couple of the dolls and the-- and the clothing, and she said what was surprising is how few times she had to start over." "Like, she was able to just be meticulous about-- Here's some food." "I think this is salad and a piece of pizza." "A salad and a piece of pizza." "Here's a little laptop computer." "See there's even detail on the screen." "Look at the cute little heart on the front of the computer." "This looks like it's another TV." "Oh, and there's-- how appropriate." "There's a courtroom drama playing in the background." "When I ask her what she wants to watch on TV that night-- it's one of the things I usually ask her when I talk to her on the phone-- she'll say that it depends on whose turn it is to decide." "And she's in a cell by herself, so she's the only person there." "♪ ♪" "I do a lot of stuff with running numbers in my head." "I do..." "I try to put up static, almost, is how I describe it." "I wish that I could talk to her about-- like, I have-- right now, there's like patterns of light and geometric shapes that's, like, always racing." "Like always, like right now." "Pshew, pshew, pshew, pshew, pshew, pshew." "I always wanted to know if she sees that stuff, too." "Everything seems normal to me, because it's-- it's my everything." "This is how I've always seen things." "So, it doesn't seem weird to me that like," ""Oh that's not how you see street lights?"" "or "Oh, that's weird."" "I don't know if that was everyone that had like a weird little visual... thing going on... like the glaring demon, devil." "Like that you're like, "Okay, this is clearly not real."" "But it doesn't matter." "Like, I've had where... like you... you can see it and you know it's not real... but it totally doesn't matter, because you're still terrified of it." "Like, I know that there's..." "I know the devil's not in the backseat, but the devil is in the backseat." "You know?" "Yeah, sometimes you know it's not real, but it still smells, tastes, and looks real, so it's real." "♪ ♪" "Attorney:" "Could you just describe, in general terms, what you found in the bedroom when you went through it?" "There were..." "numerous... notebooks and pieces of paper with drawings and writings pertaining to the Slenderman character." "♪ ♪" "Attorney:" "Where was all this stuff located?" "All in Morgan's bedroom." "Collins:" "When you ask Morgan..." ""What if Slenderman doesn't exist?"" "She can't tolerate that." "She becomes somewhat oppositional, and says she knows it's true, and it can't be proven untrue, so it's true." "Attorney:" "Did Morgan use the words" ""It had to be done?" Yes." "Attorney:" "Did you tell her to say that?" "I did not." "Attorney:" "She's volunteering this to you?" "Correct." "(pen scratching)" "Attorney:" "That seems like an unusual thing to say." "It does." "Attorney:" "Did you ask her what she meant by that?" "I did." "Attorney:" "And did you have to ask her multiple times?" "I did." "Attorney:" "Okay, after you asked her multiple times what she meant by "It had to be done,"" "what did she offer you or what did she say?" "She told me that the man ordered it." "(attorney speaks)" "Grunke:" "Yes, I did." "(attorney speaks)" "She held up three fingers." "Attorney:" "Like three?" "Three." "Attorney:" "What did that-- did you try to understand what that meant?" "I asked her if that meant three years ago, and she said, "No, at age three."" "She believed that she communicated telepathically with Slenderman, and that... once the communication began, that she had to do what it was that Slenderman demanded." "Attorney 2:" "And if she didn't do what was demanded, her family wouldn't be safe?" "Robbins:" "She wouldn't be safe, her family wouldn't be safe." "Attorney 2:" "Dr. Robbins, was Morgan's entry into this particular crime because of her psychosis?" "I believe so." "Casimir:" "Itbearssaying thatschizophrenia, inandof itself, isnotadangerousillness." "Therearemany35-year-olds whohaveschizophrenia whodon'thave tobeincarcerated, whocanbe managed ina community." "However,there's asecondparttothat ." "When your delusion-- when your fixed delusion tells you to kill people... and when your... insight doesn't allow you to seek treatment," "then schizophrenia becomes dangerous." "It is a dangerous illness untreated... and hence..." "we're here." "(chattering) (birds chirping)" "Matt:" "Youarejustsolost  inyourillness that no one knew about... and then for people just to hate her like that, just hate you" ""Ihatethatlittlegirl ." "Ihopesheburns."" "Like,havingpeople callmyhouseand tellme," ""You're going to burn in hell and so is your daughter."" "Peopledon't understandthat... (emotionally) she loves Bella." "We love Bella... so much, and she still talks about her like they're friends." "Oh my god." "She loves her like I love her." "And like, for people to talk about her the way they do, it's like" "Morgan loved Bella." "She's-- like, how sick are you that you would do that to your best friend?" "Because you're afraid of something happening, or because you want something happen." "You want to become something... because your illness dictated that this is something you need to be." "Just blows me away... that people are like that." "It just makes me sad." "(sniffles) I wish people knew." "(crying) ♪ ♪" "(Morgan speaking)" "(Anissaspeaking onvideo)" "(speaks indistinctly)" "(Anissa speaking on video)" "(Anissa sighs)" "♪ ♪" "(clears throat)" "(Trussoni speaking)" "(Anissa speaks)" "(Trussoni speaking)" "(Trussoni speaking)" "The regular ones are just the regular cat treats that you're used to." "Just to say, "I love you, kitty."" "Cat Snacks are only 2.99 at your local grocery store." "(Casey speaks)" "(Morgan speaking)" "Attorney:" "Thank you." "Detective, did you have a chance to watch that compilation?" "I saw the compilation." "Attorney:" "And would you agree that that's you present in that room with Morgan Geyser?" "Those were... pieces of the interview that was me and Morgan together." "Attorney:" "Did you tell Morgan she could have parents available to talk to before you interrogated her?" "I did not tell her that, because that wasn't an option." "Attorney:" "You weren't going to let her parents be present?" "Correct." "Attorney:" "Or let her even have a phone call to talk to them?" "Um, we did not offer her a phone call." "Attorney:" "At some point were you provided with Anissa's phone?" "Casey:" "Yes, I was." "Attorney:" "Did you have a chance to look at any of the... messages on that phone?" "Yes, I did." "It says, "This is my final wish to those who care..."" "♪ ♪" "(crying)" "Trussoni:" "Mm-hmm." "♪ ♪" "(church bell ringing)" "Attorney:" "Where did you locate the suspects?" "Thom Moerman:" "Theywerelocatedright byI-94in WaukeshaCounty." "Attorney:" "Did you notice anything aboutAnissa's emotional state when you had contact with her?" "She said she was scared, and I asked what was she scared of?" "Attorney:" "And do you recall what she said to you?" "She made mention that if she told me," "I would think that she was crazy, and I told her that I didn't think anybody was crazy." "Trussoni:" "Okay." "(exhales) (clattering)" "(mutters)" "(breathes shakily)" "(Trussonispeaks onvideo)" "(Anissa speaking)" "(Morgan speaking)" "(Casey speaking)" "(cellphone playing tune) (speaks indistinctly)" "Can you ask the question again please?" "Attorney 2:" "One of the first communications before any of the search requests was found on Anissa's phone that was provided by her parents, correct?" "Correct." "Attorney 2:" "It was basically a goodbye letter." "Correct?" "Yes." "Attorney 2:" "And basically indicated that people should remember who she was, not grieve for her... and that she wouldn't do them harm." "Correct." "Attorney 2:" "Nothing further, Your Honor." "♪ ♪" "(character blabbering on iPad)" "Bill:" "Aiden?" "Wrap it up, chief." "we got places to go." "All right?" "We have to run over to the school for a mandatory meeting about iPads-- setting up their iPad... and using their iPad, and... the disadvantages they'll be at if they're not allowed to use their iPad." "(sighs) You know?" "I don't think anybody can really, you know, begrudge me for thinking the way I do about... a bunch of fifth graders getting iPads." "You know, based on what this family has been through." "At the same token... you know, I don't want to hinder his learning." "(blabbering)" "Bill:" "I guess I just need to... get over my own reservations about it." "And about the iPads." "If I'd had my way, he wouldn't have one." "You have a child that is... incarcerated, for lack of a better term... but your other life still has to go on, so you still have to be able to support your other children with the activities that they're in, and... you do your best to support your children" "that you can't have access to... and have to explain to Anissa that," ""Well, I might not be able to come up on Tuesday," ""because Aiden has a pack meeting." "I have to be there for that."" "I've had conversations with..." "my oldest son." "I was out in the backyard." "He comes outside, he says to me, "What's wrong?"" "(clock ticking)" "(breathes deeply)" "That's when I told him... it's just stressful as hell... trying to keep everything as balanced as it can possibly be." "(sighs) You never get a day off..." "(emotionally) and it wears on you." "It just really wears the shit outta ya." "Because you have to do so much more... to try to keep everybody in a positive place, including yourself." "It's..." "It's mentally... and emotionally and physically just draining." "(sniffles)" "(birds chirping)" "Angie:" "I knew it was always a risk, simply because of... genetics that one of our children might develop schizophrenia." "I never thought something like this would happen." "Matt is so..." "He's so high functioning and he's so... stable." "I just know that he's developed an awareness of what's real and what's not." "And I think, for Morgan, those lines are still pretty blurry... but it's all still very real to her." "♪ ♪" "In general, Morgan's just becoming more and more lost and involved in this world of imaginary friends that she has." "The best possible situation would be that she ends up in an environment where she can receive treatment for her schizophrenia, and that would be a psychiatric facility." "Not prison." "She can't go to prison." "♪ ♪" "I think it's kind of cruel of the courts... to have a law where you can take two girls who are not troublemakers prior..." "And they did not try to hide what they did." "They did not lie about what they did." "They were very truthful for it." "And it's like they're being punished extra because of it." "Well, let's hope the judge is gonna have some good news." "Some very good news." "The two young girls accused of stabbing their classmate are back in court." "WISN 12 news' Hillary Mintz is live in Waukesha County with the very latest." "Hillary." "Well, Melinda, for pretty much the past year since the stabbing happened, a judge here at the county courthouse has been trying to figure out "Should Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier be tried as adults or juveniles?"" "That decision is expected to come today, and the stakes in that decision are extremely high." "♪ ♪" "Thevictim, 13-year-oldPaytonLeutner, hasphysicallyrecovered, buttheysay sheisstilldealing withtheemotionaldamage." "♪ ♪" "The court's prepared to proceed with the ruling." "The court easily finds that this is a violent, premeditated, personal offense." "There was a conscious decision made at the time of the offense to let the victim die." "They told P.L. that they would leave to get her help." "They did leave... and they left, walking to the Nicolet National Forest to locate the Slenderman Mansion and then meet up with Slenderman." "This is charged as an attempted murder, but you have to keep in mind for both defendants that this was in fact-- this was an effort to kill someone, not a mistake by hitting them too hard," "not a mistake by pushing them too hard." "The issue of brain development is important for the court to consider." "They were young when the offense occurred, but they get older every day, frankly." "They're a year older today." "But what happens at age 18?" "And in this court's view, that's a critical factor for the court to evaluate." "There would be no oversight, no control, no ways to ensure public safety." "They've committed an offense that is serious." "It's-- it's, frankly, vicious." "There has to be assurance that that doesn't happen again, that a serious offense is dealt with on a serious basis that offers protections to everyone." "On that basis then, I'll order that the defendants," "Ms. Geyser and Ms. Weier, be retained in the adult jurisdiction." "As so ordered." "Nick Bohr:" "Thereweretearsand some surpriseherein court as a judge denied a motion by lawyers for both girls to have their cases handled in juvenile court." "Anissa Weier's lawyer went on to say they'll be discussing the possibility of an appeal." "The victim's father here said they wouldn't be commenting, though the family did appear to be upbeat following this decision." "♪ ♪" "Bill:" "I'msurethattheywould havebeenfoundeventually." "I think they never would have madeitto thestateforest." "FromWaukesha totheNicoletStateForest isa goodfour- tofive-hourdrive." "And they thought they were going to walk that?" "They had no idea of what it would take to walk that distance." "Thejudgeordered that Anissa have no contact withtheInternet." "Thejudgealsoordered that,youknow, shehaveno contact withtheco-defendant." "♪ ♪" "Angie:" "Morganhasno access totheoutdoors." "Not even a window to look out." "Morgansaysthat thisdoesn'tbotherher , becauseshedoesn'twant togooutsideanymore." "(birds chirping)" "One of the things that Anissa and her had talked about was, nomatterwhathappened... theywould alwaysbetogether." "(crow caws) (no discernible dialog)" "♪ ♪" "(chainsclinking) (cameraclicking)" "(mouseclicking) (cameraclicking)" "(woman coughs) (whispering)" "♪ ♪" "(mouse clicks)" "♪ ♪" "(churchbellringing)" "♪ ♪" "(hums) (pen scratches)"