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Two pre-teen girls in Waukesha, Wisconsin, faced charges of attempting to stab to death their friend on May 31. The attack was done in order to appease an online mythical beast named Slender Man, reports The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The two girls accused of carrying out the attack have been named as Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both 12. The victim is said to be in “stable condition.” The two suspects are being held on bail of $500,000 each. If convicted they could each face 60 years in prison.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. 2 Friends Are Accused of Trying to Kill Another Friend to Appease Slender Man
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The attack was perpetrated on Morgan Geyser’s 12-year-old birthday, according to CBS 58. Every she had been allowed to have two friends sleep over at her house for her birthday. This year she’s accused of conspiring with friend Anissa Weier to kill a friend during a slumber party. The victim in the attack was stabbed 19 times in the woods in Waukesha County. She was saved by a passing cyclist after apparently being left for dead in the attack.
Police Chief Russell Jack told the media at a press conference:
The Waukesha Police Department is deeply saddened that this 12-year-old girl had to suffer through this horrific crime. Many of the stab wounds struck major organs, but incredibly and thankfully, the victim survived this brutal assault. Both suspects had a fascination with a fictitious character that often posted to a website that is a collection of small stories about death and horror.
The criminal complaint alleges that the girl’s hoped that the victim would die and Slender Man would appear to them, thus proving his existence.
2. Slender Man Was 2009 Online Creation
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The character of Slender Man was apparently developed on the web forum Something Awful by a user named Eric Knudsen (a.k.a “Victor Surge”). He’s understood to be an unnaturally tall, slender, man. He doesn’t have a face and wears a black suit. According to legend, he stalks and traumatizes people, especially children. Slender Man, according to his page on Creepy Pasta, also has long tentacles that protrude from his back. His page further reads:
Whether he absorbs, kills, or merely takes his victims to an undisclosed location or dimension is also unknown as there are never any bodies or evidence left behind in his wake to deduce a definite conclusion.
His etymology is linked to Brazilian cave paintings, Egyptian hieroglyphs, German woodcuts, English and Romanian mythology.
3. He’s Been Called the ‘First Great Myth of the Web’
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A BBC commentator called Slender Man “the first great myth of the web.” The creator, Victor Surge, has said that some followers carry a belief that Slender Man is real. Another commentator, Tye Van Horn, from the magazine The Elm, said that Slender Man is typical of mankind’s fear of the unknown.
4. In Mythology, Slender Man Lives in Northern Wisconsin
Slender Man’s mythological home in the Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. (Wikipedia)
Anissa Weier is alleged to have told investigators that Slender Man is the leader of Creepy Pasta. Their plan was, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, to stab their friend in then walk to Slender Man’s mansion in the Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin.
5. He Was the Subject of 2013 Documentary Movie
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Slender Man has been the subject of Kickstarter movie which was funded by AJ Meadows from Missouri in 2012. The movie had been posted in its entirety online in February 2013. However as of June 2014, the movie has been taken down. The film’s producers, Super Movie Bros, have not commented on the stabbing.