Attorney says girl charged in stabbing is mentally ill; Should they be tried in adult court?



MILWAUKEE (WITI/AP) — An attorney for a Wisconsin girl accused of plotting to kill a friend to curry favor with a fictional online character says he is concerned about her mental health. He also says he will repeat his request for the court to move her from juvenile detention to a mental health facility -- and have the case prosecuted in juvenile court, instead of adult court.

Anthony Cotton represents Morgan Geyser, one of two 12-year-old girls charged in a stabbing that nearly killed another child.

Geyser and Anissa Weier are currently being held at the juvenile detention center in West Bend. They are charged as adults.

Cotton said Tuesday that he would meet with his client later in the day, but based on what he knows thus far, he believes she has serious mental health problems and should be in a hospital.

He says a judge rejected his request to move the girl Monday, but he will ask again when she returns to court next week.

In Wisconsin, anyone 10 or older who is charged with homicide is automatically considered an adult.

But should these girls be charged as adults?

Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel on Tuesday, June 3rd spoke with FOX6 News saying that if the girls are not charged as adults, he worries what that would mean if they are convicted.

"If the allegations turn out to be true, then we've got a couple of kids who premeditated a murder. That's very dangerous behavior. If we put them through the juvenile system, we have them until they're age 25. And then we're done," Schimel said.

Laura Cherone is a clinical social worker with Family Services of Waukesha.

She says she can see both sides of the argument for which court should hear the case.

"This is a very unusual type of crime -- to hear about such young people involved. When kids spend a lot of time in that kind of an activity (referring to the CreepyPasta website and Slenderman), that line can get very blurred," Cherone said.

Cherone says while all the facts remain to be heard, there are lessons to be learned by parents.

She says it's okay for parents to be nosy.

"Our kids' life, and their well-being can depend on the courage to get into their rooms and see what they're doing -- see what they're reading," Cherone said.

Cherone says it's important to talk with kids about what happened in this case -- because some may be feeling stressed out or scared -- especially those close to the school and children involved.

As for whether the case will continue to be prosecuted in adult court -- or moved to juvenile court -- that decision will be up to a judge.

 

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