Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/885501
By HANNAH WEIKEL Conley News Service WAUKESHA — Prosecutors in the so- called Slender Man stabbing have reached a plea agreement in the second suspect's case, which canceled her trial that was set to begin this month and essentially put to rest the more than three-year case. Morgan Geyser, 15, gearing up for her trial scheduled to start on Oct. 16, signed a plea questionnaire this week and admit- ted her guilt to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in the May 2014 stabbing of a classmate to curry favor with a fictional online character named Slender Man. But prosecutors conceded Geyser should not be held criminally responsible for her charges because she is mentally ill. Geyser, diagnosed schizophrenic, is at Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. Her plea hearing was scheduled for this week, when the terms of her institutional care or conditional release were to be discussed. According to an addendum on her plea questionnaire, Geyser could be committed to a state mental hospital for up to 40 years. Anissa Weier, 15, who was also charged in the Slender Man case, was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect during her trial last month. Weier had pleaded guilty to intentional second-degree attempted homicide. A jury was asked to answer two questions in her trial: whether she was mentally ill at the time of the crime and whether that pre- vented her from conforming her conduct to the law. Three psychologists, two of whom were court-appointed, testified during the trial that Weier was suffering from delu- sions stemming from Geyser's mental ill- ness. The girls believed Slender Man was real and they had to stab a friend in order to become his "proxies," or servants, and save themselves from his wrath. After 12 hours of delibera- tion, the jury agreed that Weier, who has since shown less obvi- ous symptoms of mental disease than Geyser, attached herself to Geyser's delu- sion and shouldn't be held criminally cul- pable for her part in the stabbing. Weier faces up to 25 years of commit- ment in a state mental hospital. Her plea agreement also stipulated that Weier can- not petition for conditional release for at least three years. Email: hweikel@conleynet.com City residents can rake leaves to curb MILWAUKEE — Thec city Department of Public Works said that resi- dents may rake their leaves into the street curb until Nov. 15. Leaves and brush, along with other yard waste, are banned from landfills and must not be placed in garbage or recycling carts. DPW collects leaves, brush and yard waste separately from garbage and composts it, which conserves natural resources while saving the city money. Residents are also encouraged to mulch leaves and leave grass clippings on the lawn. This saves time and money, and adds nutri- ents to the soil. Calling all city Christmas tree candidates MILWAUKEE — Nominate your tree to be the 104th annual city Christmas tree that graces City Hall. The Department of Public Works is accepting nominations for a tree to serve as the 2017 City Christmas tree to be dis- played downtown. Residents and property owners within the City of Milwaukee are asked to check their yards for a Christmas tree to donate this holiday season. The ideal tree should be 30 to 40 feet tall, and must be accessible for harvest with a crane, meaning no overhead wires present to interfere with the process. Generally the crane is parked on the street near the front or side yard to har- vest the tree. The tree can- didates are judged on size, shape, uniformity, density and color. When a tree is selected, the city's DPW Forestry staff will cut the tree, use the crane to place it on a flat bed trailer for transporta- tion downtown, remove the stump and fill in the hole. The tree will receive a police escort to City Hall. Residents who wish to have their tree considered for 2017 should contact the city of Milwaukee at 286- CITY (2489) by Oct. 13. All tree candidates will be eval- uated, and one will be selected and harvested in early November, and lit at the City Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 16 at City Hall. Mayor Tom Barrett will welcome the donors of the selected tree, and all will take part in the lighting ceremony to flip the switch. Mitchell Street Library to be celebrated MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Public Library — Mitchell Street Branch will have a grand opening party Saturday beginning with a ribbon-cutting cere- mony at 10 a.m. Festivities until 5 p.m. included craft activities, entertainment and tour sta- tions throughout the library. Gardening for green thumbs in the golden years MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Public Library's Green Home Series contin- ues with lifelong gardening from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at the Tippecanoe Branch, 3912 S. Howell Ave. The Lifelong Gardening Committee will present techniques for gardening with ease and confidence throughout a lifetime. There will be a demonstra- tion of modifying a garden with accessibility as well as plant selection and discus- sion of techniques and tools that can help an aging gardener. Local and Organic talk at library MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Public Central Library's next Discovery Lunch will be on Eat Green: Local and Organic from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Learn differences and similarities between organ- ic and natural and what is best for your family. Taste gluten-free recipes using local fresh foods. A light lunch will be pro- vided at the library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. Register at 414-286-3011 or at any Milwaukee Public Library branch. Riverwest ArtWalk to take over neighborhood MILWAUKEE — The Riverwest Artwalk will take place from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday in Riverwest neighborhood sites that include studios, homes, gal- leries and art complexes. A tradition since 1979, tickets are available at 919 E. Center St., the Riverwest Food Co-op, 723 E. Clark St., and The ArtBar, 733 E. Burleigh St. It's $5 for adults, $3 for children. Exhibit goes Beyond the Blade MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Public Museum's exhibit "Weapons: Beyond the Blade" opens at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the museum, 800 W. Wells St. There will be more than 180 rarely seen artifacts from the museum's anthro- pology and history collec- tions. Items include an arrow from Custer's Last Stand. 'Justice for All' signing MILWAUKEE — Civil rights activist Lloyd A. Barbee will be remembered in a presentation from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Milwaukee Public Library Centennial Hall, 733 N. Eighth St. His daughter, Daphné Barbee-Wooten, will deliver "Justice for All: Selected Writings of Lloyd A. Barbee." REGION/COMMUNITY October 6 2017 • Milwaukee County Post • 15 Insanity plea reached in Geyser's case Geyser Please Call if you M O V E D ! at 414-744-6370 Leave a Message Name • Phone # Old Address & New Address & Apt. # or Lot # We Love Our Readers Thank You Milwaukee Co. Post 257628013 Expires 10/31/17 • Roller Set Stylist Wanted $ 5 OFF New Customers Only 327-4544 3155 S. 76th St. NEW SUMMER HOURS M-F: 8am-5pm, Sat: 8am-3pm Teddy's Hair ANY PERM Welcome Sharon & Linda to our Salon!