A 12 year-old girl survived 19 knife wounds inflicted by two of her 12 year-old friends, the attack prompted by their desire to impress a website character called "Slenderman", and the two now face charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide, as reported by CNN.
The stabbing occurred in the woods in Waukesha, Wisconsin, during the first weekend of June. The victim was spotted by a bicyclist, calling out "Please help me, I've been stabbed." She was later reported in stable condition in an area hospital.
According to authorities the two attackers, M.G. and A.W., were seeking the attention of a character named "Slenderman" from a website called Creepypasta.com. Slenderman is an Internet meme that frequently appears in horror stories as well as images and videos. His character is the leader of Creepypasta and, people that want to join him must commit a murder.
The style of writing employed on the site allegedly appears to the reader as news or true crime.
After the attack Creepypasta put a statement on their website expressing both condolences to the victim, and to disclaim that their site encourages any form of violence. The statement read, "it's hard to justify pinning blame on an entire genre of writing."
M.G. and A.W. were arrested as they walked near Interstate 94 after the victim was discovered. According to a sheriff's officer that had picked them up, "There was evidence that was readily apparent when the two were taken into custody." A knife was located in a large purse that M.G. carried.
They are being charged as adults, and according to Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel, each has a bail amount of $500,000.
An attorney for M.G., Anthony Cotton, told reporters that his client is in a juvenile facility and her family is in "shock" over the allegations.
All three girls were students in the same middle school. The victim had attended a sleepover at one of the suspect's homes before the attack. The police chief told CNN, "Both suspects had a fascination with a fictitious character that often posted" about death and horror.
The teens had allegedly been planning the murder since February. They first thought of using duct tape over the victim's mouth and then stabbing her to death while she slept. A second idea was to murder her in the bathroom of a local park – as a floor drain located there would provide for an easier time cleaning up.
Instead they chose to initiate a game of hide and seek. The complaint states, "As they left for the park ... (the victim) was walking in front of them and M.G. lifted up the left side of her white jacket and displayed the knife tucked in her waistband. A.W. stated she gave M.G. a look with wide eyes and, when asked what that meant A.W. stated, 'I thought, dear god, this was really happening.'"
Had any of the 19 wounds been "one millimeter" closer to the victim's heart she would have experienced "certain death" according to the complaint.
Former FBI profiler M.E.O. said that the case was "very unusual -- not just because is involves young females, but the brutality of it."
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