Episode 117. The Slenderman Stabbing - When Internet Horror Becomes Deadly

In this week's episode Sandra talks about the popular media figure Slenderman. It is well known that Slenderman was created by Erik Knudson on the online forum Something Awful back in 2009. Since then the mythical figure Slenderman has become popular. From being featured in episodes of Law and Order to being a popular video game back in the mid 2000's. Slenderman is described as a tall man with no facial features and his appearance is linked to children's disappearances. Then, Danielle dives into one of the most chilling and perplexing true crime cases of the digital age: the Slenderman stabbing. Three twelve-year-old girls enter a forest in Waukesha, Wisconsin, under the guise of playing hide-and-seek, when in reality two were planning something much more nefarious. Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, devout followers of the fictional character, orchestrated an attack on their friend, Payton Leutner to gain favor from Slender Man. Listen to Payton's amazing survivor storing, the controversial legal decisions that impacted the rulings towards Morgan and Anissa, and a recent update from March 2025. Join us as we unravel the eerie intersection of crime, mental health, and online horror culture in this chilling real-life story. Sandra's Sources: https://chosenrebel.me/2014/06/06/what-is-a-slenderman-anyway/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender_Man https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5690360/. Danielle's Sources: https://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-man-stabbing-assailant-morgan-geyser-granted-release/story?id=119509026 https://abcnews.go.com/US/slender-man-stabbing-victim-speaks-publicly-time-situation/story?id=66268385 https://apnews.com/article/-----e69124f5061c45ab9954bf5e669e766fhttps://apnews.com/general-news-36d9f7b4c79b463cb9aef368e50fbdf5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender_Man_stabbing