A lawyer for the Slender Man stabbing suspect who was found mentally fit to stand trial will challenge the state doctor's ruling, he said Tuesday.
Defense attorney Anthony Cotton said the 12-year-old Wisconsin girl — who, along with a friend, is accused of stabbing a classmate repeatedly to appease a fictional online character — still believes that Slender Man is
real, The Associated Press reported.
The girl was ordered to enter a mental health institution in August after a different state psychologist told a judge that she claims to see and hear things that aren't there.
"Right now, she has one-on-one care, she has social workers, she has doctors, she has therapists," Cotton said, according to the AP. "There's professionals who can look at her and monitor her and be involved in the sort of day-to-day treatment. Jails aren't equipped to do those types of activities, and they're certainly not equipped to do those things for children in most cases."
The two girls were charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide after reportedly luring their friend into the woods during a sleepover in
May and stabbing her 19 times, Reuters reported. The victim survived the attack.
The girls told authorities they attacked their friend to impress the fictional online character Slender Man, who they believed was real.
A competency hearing is set for Dec. 18, when Cotton will challenge the latest state report that the one suspect is mentally competent to stand trial. The other suspect will also face a competency hearing the same day.
The defendants face up to 60 years in prison if convicted.
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