Josef And Stacie Leutner To Talk About Payton Isabella's Slenderman Stabbing Incident

Morgan E. Geyser, Anissa E. Weier and Payton Isabella Leutner

Parents of Slenderman stabbing 12-year-old victim to appear and speak about incident on ABC's 20/20 with David Muir.

By H. Nelson Goodson

September 26, 2014

Waukesha, WI - On Friday, both Josef and Stacie Leutner, the parents of Payton Isabella Leutner, 12, will appear and speak about their daughter's ordeal during and after she was stabbed 19 times by two 12-year-old friends in a park wooded area in the City of Waukesha. The family attempted to keep their daughter's name from the public, but Facebook postings and comments made that impossible. Apparently, Payton will also appear on ABC's 20/20 segment with David Muir on Friday night, according to a promotional video announcement by ABC.

This month, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael O. Bohren ordered Anissa E. Weier, 12, for a mental evaluation to see if she is competent to stand trial. She is charged as an adult for stabbing Leutner at least 19 times on May 31. Weier is charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Her court proceedings for a probable cause hearing has been rescheduled for October 22.

In early August, the second suspect Morgan E. Geyser, 12, was found to be incompetent to stand trial for first-degree intentional homicide in Leutner's stabbing. A hearing date on Geyser's competency report was set for November 12 to continue with the case. Leutner was not present at both Weier and Geyser's competency request hearings.

The Geyser's ruling in court also indicated that Geyser could become competent within a year with treatment and might stand trial. Geyser remained in custody in the care of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS) and is housed at the Washington County Juvenile Center in West Bend.

Both Geyser and Weier, had planned her murder for months. Leutner was invited to a birthday slumber party by Geyser. They lured Leutner to Davids Park and committed the horrific act and then left their best friend to die as a sacrificed murder to Slenderman. Leutner crawled out of the wooded area and was found by a bicyclist who called 911. Geyser and Weier later confessed to police that they wanted Leutner dead because they were influence by Slenderman, a fictional character. They told police, that they wanted people to believe in the fictional character. 

Both Geyser and Weier were charged with one felony count each for first-degree attempted intentional homicide, party to a crime and use of a dangerous weapon.

If convicted, both Geyser and Weier are facing up to 65-years in prison each and are being held each on a $500,000 cash bond at a Washington County Juvenile Detention Center.