Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both 12, were charged in June as
adults with first-degree attempted homicide after they allegedly
attacked a classmate in a park in Waukesha, a western suburb of
Milwaukee.
Geyser's family and prosecutors both commissioned mental competency
exams, which may be raised during Wednesday's hearing in Waukesha
County Circuit Court, attorneys said.
The evaluations will remain sealed, but the conclusions are expected
to be briefly discussed in court, said attorney Anthony Cotton, who
represents Geyser.
Cotton has asked the court to move forward with the pretrial
proceedings regardless of Geyser's competency. If she is found
competent, the case moves forward automatically, he said.
If Geyser is found incompetent, she would go through treatment,
which could be a long process involving medication and therapy,
Cotton said.
Weier's attorney, Joseph Smith, could not be reached immediately for
comment.
Cotton hopes ultimately that the case will be moved to juvenile
court, away from the media and public, but that issue will not be in
front of the court on Wednesday, he said.
Wisconsin law requires attempted homicide cases involving suspects
at least 10 years old to begin in adult court before attorneys can
ask a judge to move the case to juvenile court.
The girls face up to 60 years in prison if convicted as adults of
attempted homicide. They could be incarcerated to age 25 if they are
convicted as juveniles under Wisconsin law.
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Weier and Geyser are accused of luring their classmate into the
woods on May 31 and stabbing her repeatedly with a kitchen knife.
They told investigators they stabbed her to impress Slenderman, a
tall, creepy fictional bogeyman they insisted was real, according to
a criminal complaint.
The girl they stabbed spent six days in the hospital before being
released and is now recovering at home, according to her family. Her
identity has not been made public.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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