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'Slender Man' stabber to be released as state warns of 'red flags'

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'Slender Man' stabber to be released as state warns of 'red flags'

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The Wisconsin woman who attempted to kill her 12-year-old classmate to appease the fictional character “Slender Man” will be released despite the state’s claims there are still “red flags” concerning her behavior.  

A judge has ruled Morgan Geyser, 22, can continue with her planned conditional release from a Wisconsin mental health institute, rejecting a last-minute petition from the State Department of Health Services asking for her to remain in custody. 

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The decision comes after failed attempts by Geyser’s defense team to have her released. 

Officials asked Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren to reverse his initial decision after he ordered Geyser’s release in January, citing Geyser’s relationship with a murder memorabilia collector and her interest in violent books. 

WISCONSIN GIRL, 15, SENTENCED IN SLENDER MAN STABBING CASE 

Morgan Geyser is brought into Waukesha County Circuit Court for a hearing April 11, 2024.  (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

In 2017, Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the violent stabbing of Payton Leutner but claimed she was not responsible due to her mental illness. She told investigators she tried to kill Leutner to please the horror character Slender Man and was ultimately found not guilty by reason of mental defect. 

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Geyser’s defense team and the state’s prosecuting attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

“Being found to be mentally ill as the cause of the crime has a pretty high standard,” Dr. Gail Saltz, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, told Fox News Digital. “The standard is an identifiable illness that impacts your ability to understand that what you’re doing is wrong and that you have the capacity to understand that. That’s true regardless of age. So, it is quite a high standard.” 

WISCONSIN WOMAN CHARGED IN ‘SLENDER MAN’ STABBING DROPS REQUEST FOR EARLY RELEASE FROM MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY

'Slender Man' stabber Morgan Geyser appears in a Wisconsin courtroom

Morgan Geyser is brought into Waukesha County Circuit Court for a motion hearing April 10, 2024.  (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, were 12 when they lured Leutner into a wooded park during a sleepover in May 2014. Geyser, encouraged by Weier, stabbed Leutner 19 times. 

Leutner miraculously survived the attack. 

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Geyser has been in custody at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute for the last seven years. She was initially sentenced to 40 years in the psychiatric hospital and was permitted to ask the court to consider her conditional release every six months. 

The Wisconsin State Department of Health Services did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

‘SLENDER MAN’ STABBER GRANTED EARLY RELEASE BY JUDGE AFTER MULTIPLE FAILED ATTEMPTS

Attorney Anthony Cotton talks with client Morgan Geyser

Attorney Anthony Cotton talks with client Morgan Geyser after her petition for conditional release was denied in Waukesha County Circuit Court April 11, 2024. (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Health officials asked Bohren to reconsider, citing Geyser’s relationship with a man who collects murder memorabilia. Prosecutors also said Geyser failed to inform her therapy team about a violent book she was reading.

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Geyser’s defense attorney, Tony Cotton, refuted the claims, telling the court the center’s staff members were aware the collector had visited Geyser three times in June 2023 and that she only read books that were permitted by her care team. Cotton added that after Geyser discovered the man was selling items she sent him, she broke things off.

“Morgan is not more dangerous today,” Cotton said.

JUDGE DENIED RELEASE OF WOMAN WHO STABBED CHILDHOOD FRIEND BECAUSE OF ‘SLENDER MAN’

Abbey Nickolie asking questions during hearing

Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie questions Dr. Brooke Lundbohm, a specialist in psychology, during a motion hearing for Morgan Geyser in Waukesha County Circuit Court April 10, 2024.  (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Bohren also listened to testimony from three psychologists who initially recommended Geyser be released during her hearing in January. 

While Geyser’s apparent interest in violent topics concerns prosecutors, experts say some individuals may gravitate toward materials that offer a controlled way to indulge in their morbid curiosity. 

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“This is a gray zone in the sense that many people read violent material as a way of partaking and thinking about that sort of fantasy material,” Saltz said. “Horror movies exist because many humans have sadistic and masochistic urges that are satisfied by reading about or watching material of this sort.” 

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Judge Michael Bohren presides over the motion hearing

Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren presides over the second day of a motion hearing for Morgan Geyser April 11, 2024.  (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

However, agency officials argued Geyser remains a danger to the community, citing the book “Rent Boy,” which features topics such as murder and selling organs on the black market. 

Prosecutors told Bohren they believed it was concerning that Geyser reportedly only disclosed the information when confronted by her care team. 

“The state has real concerns these things are, frankly, just red flags at this point,” Waukesha County Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie said during a hearing last month. 

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WISCONSIN WOMAN CONVICTED IN ‘SLENDER MAN’ STABBING CASE PETITIONS FOR CONDITIONAL RELEASE

'Slender Man' stabber Morgan Geyser appears in a Wisconsin courtroom

Morgan Geyser is led out of Waukesha County Circuit Court after her petition for conditional release was denied April 11, 2024.  (Scott Ash/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

While morbid curiosities may be normal for some, experts believe those with violent pasts could be influenced by materials about their crimes. 

“Thought does not equal behavior,” Saltz said. “That being said, [with] somebody who has committed the behavior, we do worry that ultimately that will increase their urge to do something that they truly [want] to do and lead to a behavior that is considered a problem.” 

Despite the state’s pleas to keep Geyser institutionalized, Bohren determined she was no longer a danger to society. Her next court appearance is scheduled for April 28, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 

‘SLENDER MAN’ CASE: WISCONSIN JUDGE ORDERS CONDITIONAL RELEASE FOR WOMAN INVOLVED IN STABBING

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Morgan Geyser appears in a Waukesha County courtroom

Morgan Geyser appears in a Waukesha County courtroom Jan. 9, 2025, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

“There are many people who commit horrible assaults with the intent to kill and serve their time and the evaluation is that they acknowledge their crime, which [Geyser] clearly has,” Saltz told Fox News Digital. “They fall under all the ingredients that have to do with rehabilitation, who don’t even have a finding that mental illness was a factor and were then released into society. So, I’m saying this isn’t a totally unique situation.” 

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Weier also pleaded guilty to being a party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide with a dangerous weapon and was sentenced to 25 years in a mental hospital. In 2021, she was released on the condition she must live with her father and wear a GPS monitor. 

Attorneys for Weier did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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“You have to think about the victim in this case too,” Saltz said. “The attack was unbelievably traumatic. But, at the end of the day, it’s highly unusual to essentially lock up a 12-year-old for life.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 



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Midwest

Senator introduces legislation to rein in widely used, controversial abortion pill

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Senator introduces legislation to rein in widely used, controversial abortion pill

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced legislation Tuesday to scale back the popular abortion drug mifepristone after a recent study revealed that 1 in 10 women who used the medication experienced “serious adverse effects.”

The Restoring Safeguards for Dangerous Abortion Drugs Act would direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to create safeguards on the abortion drug mifepristone, allow women who have suffered complications from prescriptions the right to sue telehealth providers and pharmacies for damages, and ban foreign companies from mailing and importing mifepristone into the U.S.

Hawley introduced the legislation “after a bombshell study revealed the truth about mifepristone: it’s dangerous,” the Missouri senator told Fox News Digital. “The data shows 1 in 10 women who take mifepristone experience adverse health effects, like going to the ER or suffering from sepsis. The FDA needs to act to protect women now.”

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley introduces legislation to implement safeguards for abortion pill mifepristone. (Reuters/Getty)

COVID VACCINE BOOSTERS CALLED INTO QUESTION BY FDA CHIEF: ‘VOID OF DATA’

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Hawley cites last week’s study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which revealed in its key findings that “10.93 percent of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious or life-threatening adverse event within 45 days following a mifepristone abortion.”

The study assessed 865,727 insurance claims between 2017 and 2023 for women who used the medication to terminate early pregnancy. The pill can be taken up to “70 days since the first day of their last menstrual period,” according to the FDA.

The exact number of women who have undergone a mifepristone abortion since the FDA’s approval under the Clinton administration in 2000 can be difficult to calculate, as some pregnancies are terminated without official medical intervention. 

Demonstrators gather in front of the Supreme Court

Demonstrators gather in front of the Supreme Court as it hears oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine on March 26, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The case challenges the 20-plus-year legal authorization by the FDA of mifepristone, a commonly used abortion medication. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

The Guttenmacher Institute, a non-governmental organization (NGO) which was once a part of Planned Parenthood, estimates that there were 1,038,100 clinician-provided abortions in 2024, though this number only reflects “states without a ban”. The estimation does not include the number of abortions that occurred illegally or in states where pregnancy termination laws vary.  

SCOOP: REPUBLICANS DISCUSS DEFUNDING ‘BIG ABORTION’ LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD IN TRUMP AGENDA BILL

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At the time of approval, there were stricter parameters for administering the drug. However, the Obama administration’s FDA rolled back some of these requirements in 2016 by reducing the need for in-person visits, removing mandatory physician prescription requirements, and eliminating non-fatal adverse event reporting. 

Hawley sent a letter last week to Trump-appointed FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, whom Hawley questioned during the former Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor’s confirmation before the U.S. Senate.

Sen. Josh Hawley speaks from the podium in a Senate hearing.

Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced the Restoring Safeguards for Dangerous Abortion Drugs Act. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“[D]uring your confirmation hearing, you pledged to me that you would ‘review the totality of the data and ongoing data’ to inform action on the drug,” Hawley’s letter to the FDA head explained. “I urge you to follow this new data and take all appropriate action to restore critical safeguards on the use of mifepristone. The health and safety of American women depend on it.”

TRUMP FOE LETITIA JAMES LEADING CHARGE ON NEW MULTISTATE LAWSUIT OVER HHS CUTS

The introduction of Hawley’s bill comes just one day after Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) asked a Texas federal judge to dismiss a case that could restrict access to the controversial pill. This move mirrored a similar stance taken by the Biden administration to keep a mifepristone lawsuit out of a Texas court.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA for comment.

Preston Mizell is a writer with Fox News Digital covering breaking news. Story tips can be sent to Preston.Mizell@fox.com and on X @MizellPreston

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Detroit, MI

Javier Báez continues to make magical moments for Detroit Tigers

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Javier Báez continues to make magical moments for Detroit Tigers


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  • Javier Báez had a spectacular defensive game for the Detroit Tigers in their 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
  • Báez made a “Superman” catch in center field, doubling off a runner at first base.
  • He also hit a home run, his third in three games, and made another key defensive play in the ninth inning.

TORONTO — Just when you think that Javier Báez can’t top himself.

Just when you think: OK, there’s no way he has more magic inside that glove. Or maybe, inside his heart.

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Well, he does something else. He tops himself — this time, making a spectacular “Superman”-style catch, adding yet another layer to this amazing comeback story. Look, it’s a bird … it’s a plane … nope, it’s just “El Mago” doing his thing.

“How special he’s been,” Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty said with pure admiration after Báez made play after play, in big moment after big moment, in a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on May 16. “It’s awesome.”

The first moment happened in the second inning. Toronto’s Addison Barger was on first after a Flaherty walk and Nathan Lukes drilled a ball into the right-center gap.

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You could almost see Barger thinking: Oh, I might score. At the very least, I might end up on third.

But Baez made another amazing, jaw-dropping diving catch. He looked like Superman, flying through the air, his body parallel to the ground as he snagged the ball. Then, he made it even better. He sprang up and fired a perfect throw to Spencer Torkelson at first base, easily doubling Barger off.

El Mago.

The Magician — two for the price of one.

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End of the inning.

Celebrate 125 seasons of Tigers magic!

“I saw him break and he had a pretty perfect angle at it,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “Then the layout, and I might be equally as impressed with the throw, just to be able to catch his breath for a second and get up and throw a one-hopper for the double play — impactful play, very big at the point of the game, to be able to end the inning, keep Jack’s pitch count down and kind of demoralize the other side.”

You almost forget that, for this converted Gold Glove shortstop, this was just his 22nd game in center in the big leagues and he was out there, in the words of Hinch, showing “his athleticism in center field at a field he’s never played center field — pretty awesome stuff.”

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The route was perfect. The read was perfect. The jump? Yeah, simply perfect. Báez caught the ball 340 feet from home plate and then he had the instincts to come up firing. Which is the only part that was not really surprising. Because he’s the most instinctual player on this team.

“I was surprised with the catch, honestly,” Báez said. “As soon as I caught it, I saw he was kind of flying. So I kind of made sure that it was a good throw.”

He kind of shrugged. It’s like he surprises himself sometimes. Like the magician doesn’t know the tricks until he pulls the magic from the hat.

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But that moment did so many things for the Tigers.

First of all, he single-handedly saved a seriously stressful moment for Flaherty. At worst, the Blue Jays would have had runners on second and third with one out. And it saved pitches on Flaherty’s arm.

“I want to talk about Javy,” Flaherty said, after earning an encouraging outing. “He comes here and struggles for two years. But it just it goes to show that you can’t write guys off or give up on guys, especially a guy like that, who is as talented as anybody who has probably ever played this game.”

[ NEW TIGERS NEWSLETTER! Sign up for The Purr-fect Game, a weekly dose of Tigers news, numbers and analysis for Freep subscribers, here. ] 

Yes, Flaherty was thankful for Báez. But it resonated far deeper than that. Flaherty completely appreciates how Báez has gone through the fire and come out the other side, finding the magic again.

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“It’s in there, it doesn’t just go away,” Flaherty said.

Flaherty appreciates everything about Báez : the work he’s done behind the scenes and the adjustments he’s made and how he has embraced playing center. “I’m so happy for him, and it’s awesome to see,” Flaherty said. “It’s also a testament to who he is and how much work he’s put behind everything — no matter who wants to try to write you off, or what they have to say.”

Hinch wants his players to find a way to contribute to a win, either at the plate or in the field. And Báez certainly did that and more.

Because in the top of the eighth, the game was getting tight after the Blue Jays had pulled to 4-3.

But there is something important we are learning about Báez. Something fans in other places already knew: The bigger the moment, the better Báez plays. And he hit a 95 mph fastball, crushing it 408 feet to left-center for a home run, his third in three games and his sixth this season — as many as he had all of last year.

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“He’s swung the bat pretty well to the pull side,” Hinch said. “He’s getting pitches to hit and we’ve always told him, or we’re telling him, that don’t you have to be perfect. Get a pitch to hit and and have a plan. He did and he didn’t miss.”

But Báez wasn’t done.

There was one final defensive play.

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In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, Myles Straw hit a sinking liner to center field. But Báez came flying up, trying to catch it. He couldn’t get there in time. But more importantly, he didn’t let it get past him because the tying run was on base.

“If the ball gets past them, we’re probably still playing,” Hinch said.

And so, this amazing, magical season continues for Báez. He entered this game with a .309 batting average in 130 plate appearances — just a few short of the 140 currently required to qualify for the batting title. Still, he was ninth in average and tied for ninth with 27 RBIs. That was thanks to a 15-game stretch in which he hit .368 (21-for-57) with five homers, 15 runs and 23 RBIs for a 1.179 OPS since April 26. And then he homered against the Blue Jays.

Put another way: He’s just raking.

“It feels great, honestly,” Báez said, “to give something to the team.”

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That’s not a throwaway line. It’s the essence of who he is. This is a magician who performs for others, not for himself.

Everything is for the team. For everyone else.

And that is why the better this team plays, the bigger the moment, the more magic comes out of Báez.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on X @seideljeff.

Order your copy of “Roar of 125: The Epic History of the Detroit Tigers!” by the Free Press at Tigers125.PictorialBook.com.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee residents recall wild overnight storms as DPW crews work to clear debris

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Milwaukee residents recall wild overnight storms as DPW crews work to clear debris


MILWAUKEE — Thursday night’s storm sparked more than 250 emergency storm response calls in Milwaukee, according to the Milwaukee Department of Public Works.

Most of the calls, 70 percent, stemmed from the city’s south side.

DPW crews spent hours clearing a downed tree at West Arthur Avenue and South 16th Street on Friday.

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Forestry crews worked through the night. DPW states that additional resources are being dedicated to the south side due to the high impact.

In the Riverwest neighborhood, a massive tree toppled between homes near Locust and Humboldt. The downed tree forced a deck out of the ground and damaged part of The Tracks Tavern and Grill.

“Surprised I didn’t hear it,” Joey White told TMJ4.

White lives in the home where the deck was lifted out of the ground. He says the storm seemed loud but did not suspect the damage it was causing locally.

White did not know the tree behind his place was uprooted until the landlord contacted him. Both are grateful no one was hurt.

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WATCH: Milwaukee residents recall wild overnight storms as DPW crews work to clear debris

Milwaukee DPW: Thursday storm sparked 250+ emergency storm response calls

“I just went inside, and all of a sudden massive wind and rain, and a little hail came down,” neighbor Robert Koconis said. “Like 20 minutes it was gone. The sky started to clear. It was pretty wild.”

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In Greendale, Ethan Schenzel shared photos of a tree by his home that shattered after he said it was hit by lightning. Schenzel said that some debris flew over the house and landed in the backyard.

Milwaukee storm damage

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Milwaukee DPW anticipates crews will continue storm cleanup over the weekend.

You can report an issue to DPW by calling (414) 286-CITY. You can also make reports on the city’s website or the MKEMobile app.


Let’s talk:

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