Doctors: Stabbing suspect Morgan Geyser is not competent to stand trial



WAUKESHA  (AP/WITI) — Doctors say 12-year-old Morgan Geyser, one of two girls accused of stabbing a classmate to please a fictional online horror character, is not competent to stand trial.

The doctors' reports have not been made public, but attorneys said Wednesday, July 2nd that a doctor for the state of Wisconsin and a doctor hired by the girl's defense agree that she is not mentally competent.

Prosecutors have asked for further evaluation and a hearing on the matter, and the judge has agreed.

"We think it's appropriate for this case to be handled in children's court. So, this is all part of that process -- looking at her mental health, looking at her functioning, competency," Morgan Geyser's attorney Anthony Cotton said.

12-year-old Anissa Weier also appeared in court, during which time her attorneys asked for 30 days to review discovery materials presented by prosecutors.

Weier's attorney says competency is an issue that will come up later with his client.

"At this point, we are not raising the competency issue. We do believe competency is an issue. We're dealing with a 12-year-old child," Weier's attorney said.

During the hearing, members of both families were present.

Morgan Geyser's family sat behind her and cried as a judge stated she was not competent to proceed.

The two girls are accused of plotting for months to kill their friend to curry favor with the specter known as Slenderman. A criminal complaint says they lured her to a wooded park in Waukesha on May 31 and stabbed her 19 times.

The victim is now recovering at home.

Both girls are due back in court August 1st.

The family of the little girl attacked have released the following statement:

"Our family fully supports the District Attorney’s Office in their prosecution of this case. However, our daughter and our entire family continue to focus on both her physical and emotional healing.  She continues to amaze us in her ability to persevere and move forward – taking one day at a time.  Much of our strength comes from knowing that there is so much “good” coming from so many people, and we continue to witness this firsthand from the compassion given to our little girl from around the world."

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