Waukesha court considers Morgan Geyser's conditional release from mental institution

WAUKESHA - A two-day hearing began Wednesday afternoon in Waukesha County Circuit Court to determine whether Slender Man defendant Morgan Geyser should gain conditional release from a mental institution and serve instead under electronic surveillance.

Geyser, who will be 22 in May, has remained at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute since she was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in 2017 in the Slender Man attempted murder case for the 2014 knife attack on a friend, Payton Leutner. She began serving a 40-year commitment term in 2018.

Like codefendant Anissa Weier, who in 2021 was granted conditional release from Winnebago four years after a jury found her not guilty under the insanity defense, Geyser is asking the court to consider whether treatment she has already received warrants her release from the institution.

Geyser petitioned the court on Jan. 16, asking Judge Michael O. Bohren to address whether she is no longer a threat to herself or others. That decision ultimately will be based on a new round of medical exams, which were expected to be at the center of this week's hearing, which could include testimony from others in additional to mental health experts.

Based on an earlier timeline in Weier's review, a decision by Bohren could come within days after the hearing closes.

Geyser previously petitioned for conditional release in 2022, but later withdrew the request for unspecified reasons.

Contact reporter Jim Riccioli atjames.riccioli@jrn.com.