A judge at Waukesha County, Wisconsin, halted the proceedings on Monday against one of the two minor girls accused of stabbing a classmate to please a horror fictional character Slender Man until she undergoes a mental exam.
The 12-year-old girl, Anissa Weier, is charged as an adult for stabbing her classmate 19 times after she lured her in to a forest. Judge Michael Bohren ordered a competency examination for Weier.
Her lawyer, Maura McMahon, said she had questions about Weier's capability to aid in her own defense. "Someone's who's 12 years old in our society is not considered competent to get married, get a drink, join the army, any of these things without a parent's permission, and yet we're expected to have them proceed in a case of this nature," McMahon told the judge Michael Bohren, reports wisn.com.
Weier is charged with one count of first-degree attempted homicide and could face up to 65 years if found guilty. Her attorneys are planning to appeal her transfer to juvenile court, where she will be detained till she turns 25, reports the Associated Press.
Another minor accused in the case is Morgan Geyser, 12. She underwent a competency exam and was declared unfit to stand trial at this time. A judge gave doctors a year to see if she could improve enough to assist in her own defense.
The legal proceedings will only continue after four to five weeks.
As previously reported, in May, Weier and Geyser stabbed their classmate believing that Slender Man would allow them in his mansion.
They learned about the mythological creature on creepypasta.wikia.com, a website about horror stories and legends. They lured the girl to a forest in Milwaukee where they attacked her and left her to die.
The injured girl was noticed by a bicyclist after she managed to crawl out of the woods. Following her recovery, the girl has now returned to school.
