Slenderman stabbing case: Attorney argues for dismissal of charges

WAUKESHA (AP) — An attorney for one of the two girls accused of repeatedly stabbing a classmate and leaving her for dead in a wooded park in southeastern Wisconsin argues the charges against her should be dismissed because the girls were coerced by a fictional Slender Man character that they perceived was real.

In a Waukesha County Circuit Court filing, defense attorney Joseph Smith Jr. asks the judge to dismiss a charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide because his client believed Slender Man would kill her family. He asks the judge to dismiss the case and notes the state could proceed with charges in juvenile court.

All the girls were 12 at the time of the attack last May. The victim survived 19 stab wounds.