Visibly shaken, families of stabbing suspects offer no comment in court
Reaction to the latest court appearance by Waukesha stabbing suspects
Reaction to the latest court appearance by Waukesha stabbing suspects
WAUKESHA CO. (WITI) -- 12-year-old Morgan Geyser and 12-year-old Anissa Weier -- accused of stabbing a 12-year-old girl 19 times in the woods in Waukesha, and leaving her for dead, to appease a fictional character called "Slenderman," whom they read about online, appeared in court in Wednesday, June 11th. The suspects' faces were not photographed on Wednesday due to an order from a judge. On Tuesday, the judge ordered the media not show the girls' faces -- even though the case remains in adult court.
The Wisconsin Newspaper Association and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association filed a motion -- asking the judge to reconsider the decision and hear arguments prior to the hearing on Wednesday -- but the judge denied that request.
What was visible during Wednesday's court hearing was a lot of emotion -- both inside and outside the courtroom.
There is a growing memorial near Rivera and Big Bend in Waukesha -- where the victim in this case crawled from the woods and was discovered by a bicyclist -- who called 911 on Saturday, May 31st.
The 12-year-old victim was taken to the hospital -- where doctors said she was lucky to be alive.
In court on Wednesday afternoon, Anissa Weier's father looked past a row of reporters and photographers -- focusing instead on what lies ahead.
Weier and Geyser appeared before a judge separately on Wednesday for a status hearing in the case.
The girls are charged as adults. Each of them faces one count of attempted first degree intentional homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, as party to a crime.
After the court proceedings, the suspects' family members braved an even larger media presence -- offering little insight into the young girls who are accused of leaving their friend to die in the woods.
Weier's family offered no comment.
Geyser's family walked out of the courtroom -- visibly shaken.
Geyser's attorney, Anthony Cotton, tells FOX6 News these are just a small amount of tears shed as the suspects' families pray for the victim's recovery.
"It's very tough for everybody. I think everybody is a victim here. It's difficult for them to think through this. It's tough on the parents. It's tough on the kids. They feel terrible about it," Cotton said.
A FOX6 News crew did not see anyone representing the victim at Wednesday's court appearance.
Calls to the victim's family's spokesperson were not returned.
Geyser and Weier are due back in court on July 2nd.