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A mental competency exam has been ordered for one of the two 12-year-old girls accused of stabbing a classmate.
With their hands and wrists cuffed, the two girls were each escorted into a Waukesha County courtroom Wednesday afternoon for brief hearings on attempted homicide charges.
Attorney Anthony Cotton, who represents one of the middle school students, asked for a competency evaluation for the girl. “We have reason to believe that there are issues with her competency, so we would ask the court appoint a doctor for that purpose.” A court commissioner granted the request, with orders to keep the results sealed.
An attorney for the other suspect in the case did not raise the issue of competency, but said it could be addressed at a later date. A status hearing in her case was scheduled for July 2.
Each of the girls remains jailed at a secure juvenile detention center with bail set at a $500,000, in a case that has drawn international attention. The two students are accused of stabbing a classmate 19 times in the woods on May 31, as part of a reported plot to gain favor with a fictional horror character known as “Slender Man.” The victim in the attack was released from the hospital late last week.
Also in Waukesha County court on Wednesday, a judge denied a request from media outlets that want to be able to shoot video and take pictures of the girls’ faces. Media are challenging an order issued Tuesday, because no restrictions were in place for the girls’ initial appearances in court last week. While the girls are juveniles, multiple media outlets have reported their names because they have been charged in adult court. WRN is not naming the suspects at this time because attorneys for both girls have indicated they plan to ask that the case be moved to juvenile court.