A judge ruled that the two Wisconsin girls who are accused of stabbing a classmate to please a fantasy character called Slender Man in May are mentally able to stand trial.
The two defendants, one of whom has schizophrenia, weren't named because their attorneys are considering trying to move their cases into juvenile court where the proceedings are secret. The attorneys claimed the girls are mentally unstable, reported The Associated Press.
One of the 13-year-olds told the judge she wasn't competent to stand trial during the first hearing. After she was interviewed several times by psychologists Anthony Jurek and Michael Caldwell she was determined highly intelligent and capable of standing trial - although she does have trouble making decisions when she's bombarded with information and doesn't fully understand the way the criminal justice system works, reported AP.
The other girl underwent a mental health treatment in August after a psychologist testified that she claimed to see and hear unicorns, Slender Man and Lord Voldemort, the villain from the "Harry Potter" series, reported AP. Her lawyer said she cannot stand trial because of her schizophrenia, but psychiatrist Kenneth Casimir said her condition improved since August and she is able to stand trial.
Authorities allege that the defendants plotted for months to kill classmate Payton Leutner in a national forest where they believed the Slender Man lived in a mansion. After the three girls had a sleepover the defendants lured Leutner to the wooded park where they were accused of stabbing her 19 times. Once the two attackers left the scene Leutner crawled to the sidewalk where she was discovered by a bicyclist who called 911.
