Appeals court to decide status of girls accused in stabbing

By: Associated Press//September 30, 2015//

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WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) — A decision isn’t expected until early next year on whether two 13-year-old Wisconsin girls should be tried as adults on charges of attempting to kill a classmate.

Judge Michael Bohren on Wednesday stayed the case against the two girls until a state appeals court can hear arguments. They’re accused of stabbing Payton Leutner 19 times in a Waukesha park in May 2014 in order to placate a fictional character called Slender Man.

Bohren, a circuit court judge in Waukesha County, earlier decided that the girls should stand trial as adults on charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide.

A decision from the three-judge panel isn’t expected until January at the earliest.

The Associated Press hasn’t identified the defendants because their cases could return to juvenile court, where proceedings are closed.

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