Creator of fictional ghostly character 'Slender Man' expressed sorrow and offered condolences to the family of the 12-year-old Wisconsin girl who was stabbed by her friends to please the spooky creature.
"I am deeply saddened by the tragedy in Wisconsin and my heart goes out to the families of those affected by this terrible act," Eric Knudsen said in a statement released by spokeswoman Sue Procko, reports the Associated Press.
He and the administrator of Creepypasta, David Morales, said the website creepypasta.wikia.com was a collection of horror fiction and the website rules state that the stories are meant only for those aged 13 or above. "We are not teaching children to believe in a fictional monster, nor are we teaching them to be violent," Morales said.
Morgan Geyser and Anissa E Weier, both 12-year-olds, were charged as adults Monday, after they stabbed their friend 19 times in a wooded area in Milwaukee, Saturday. They told the investigators that they took the girl to the park land to play and then attacked her. The slaying was an act of dedication to Slender Man, the 'leader' of Creepypasta, they said. According to the girls, the attack would please the creature and let the two live with him in his Nicolet National Forest mansion.
The victim's condition was reportedly stable. If convicted the girls could face up to 65 years in prison.
Morales said that no Slender Man stories have been posted since 2012. The administrators wanted the users to come up with their own fresh ideas for the stories.
The statistics released by the U.S. Department of Justice show that nearly 9.3 million juvenile arrests were reported between 2007 and 2011. Of them just 5,640, less than half a percent, were for homicide or manslaughter. Moreover, 41 percent of those arrested for homicide or manslaughter were girls.
