Payton Leutner's classmates were found not guilty by reason of insanity.
The Wisconsin teen who was viciously and repeatedly stabbed in what became known as the "Slender Man" attack would go on to sleep with scissors under her pillow as she recovered from the trauma, her mother said in court Tuesday.
Stacie Leutner, the mother of victim Payton Leutner, said in a victim impact statement that her daughter also seemed like a different person after she survived being stabbed 19 times in 2014 by her school friend Morgan Geyser while her friend Anissa Weier.
"She was more reserved and more cautious," Leutner wrote. "She held everyone at arm’s length and never let anyone get too close. She immersed herself in school in an attempt to distract herself from the uncertainty of her life; everything she knew about her home and her family was different."
Leutner also said her daughter was a victim of her own empathy and compassion the day Morgan and Anissa led her into the woods in their shared delusion that the internet boogeyman "Slender Man" would harm them if they didn't kill Payton first.
"Payton knew that if she wasn't Morgan's friend, then Morgan wouldn't have any friends," Leutner said.
Both Morgan and Anissa were found not guilty by reason of disease or mental defect.
The mother's statement was given to the court prior to a judge's decision on how long Anissa must spend in mental health facility, which is scheduled to come Thursday.
The letter also revealed that the verdicts, which came as part of plea deals made by the girls, were supported by the Leutner family because Payton did not want to testify in the case. According to the Journal Sentinel, Payton hasn't spoken of the attack since she gave her statement about it to police.
Stacie Leutner said she agrees with findings that hospital treatment is best for both Geyser and Weier, though she admits she would not feel safe should either girl be released without proper supervision.
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