The Slender Man Stabbing: How a Myth, the Internet, and Missed Warning Signs Nearly Took a Life

This Episode

In one of the most disturbing cases to emerge from America’s digital age, the quiet city of Waukesha, Wisconsin became the center of a national nightmare. Two 12-year-old girls lured their friend into the woods, then stabbed her 19 times to “appease” a fictional internet character known as Slender Man.

In this episode of Hill of Justice, hosts Jerome Hill and retired Sheriff Victor Hill revisit a story that shocked parents, law enforcement, and the entire country. What they uncover is more than a crime. It is a breakdown of mental health awareness, digital oversight, and community intervention.

⚖️ The Attack That No One Saw Coming

The day before the stabbing looked completely normal. Three sixth grade girls had a sleepover with pizza, movies, and everything you would expect from middle school friends.

But the next morning, as they asked to “go outside and play,” two of them were preparing to carry out a plan they had been hiding for months. They led the third girl, Peyton, past the tree line and into the woods. There, they held her down and stabbed her 19 times, barely missing major arteries.

Somehow, Peyton survived. Injured and alone, she crawled out of the woods and collapsed near a bike trail, where a passing cyclist found her and called for help.

When police located the two girls, they confessed immediately. Their explanation stunned detectives.

They said they did it for Slender Man, a horror fiction character created on the internet.

🧠 Mental Illness, Missed Signals, and a System Not Built for Children Like This

As Jerome explains in the episode, psychological evaluations revealed a deeper truth. One of the girls was already showing early signs of schizophrenia, but her parents did not understand what they were seeing. Odd behaviors were dismissed as growing pains or typical teenage confusion.

Sheriff Victor Hill does not soften his stance.

“Children kill people too. If a child shows the capacity for violence, you still need a secure environment. A knife in a child’s hand is just as deadly as in an adult’s.”

He also points out a harsh reality.

• Warning signs are almost always present

• Families, schools, and communities often ignore them

• When systems fail to intervene early, tragedy becomes unavoidable

This episode forces viewers to confront an uncomfortable truth. Mental health treatment, supervision, and secure facilities for violent youth are deeply lacking.

🔍 The Internet, Urban Legends, and the Vulnerability of Young Minds

The Slender Man myth was born from Photoshop contests, online forums, and YouTube horror stories. Most people saw it as entertainment. But for a vulnerable few, it felt real.

Jerome breaks it down clearly.

“This myth took on a life of its own. People posted in character, saying things like ‘I saw him’ or ‘Obey him.’ Adults fell for it. So imagine how a young mind sees that.”

Victor takes the conversation further.

“Kids have always seen scary stories like Jason or Candyman. They do not go stab people because of it. When someone believes fiction so strongly that they become violent, that is a sign we should have caught.”

Their conversation illustrates a chilling point.
This crime did not happen because of a monster online.
It happened because real world systems failed to catch real world warning signs.

🏛️ Rehabilitation, Responsibility, and a Future Full of Unanswered Questions

Both girls were eventually found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity. One was committed for up to 25 years of supervision, and the other for up to 40.

Victor makes a point many avoid.

“They are never going to reenter society like nothing happened. They are stunted. They need a secure mental health facility, not a group home with an ankle monitor.”

He emphasizes key issues.

• Violent mental illness must be treated in secure facilities

• Social programs alone cannot prevent extreme behavior

• Group homes and ankle monitors are not true safeguards

This case has become a national study on how courts and psychiatric systems should handle juveniles capable of extreme violence.

💬 Final Thoughts

This episode is not just about a horrifying crime committed by children. It is about the fractures in our modern world.

• Declining mental health

• Families and schools missing early signs

• Law enforcement restricted from taking proactive action

• Children navigating a vast and unfiltered internet without guidance

As Jerome and Victor conclude, tragedies like this occur when every safeguard fails at the same time.

And through all of the horror, one truth stands out. Peyton survived through incredible strength and mental resilience.

“She is physically and mentally strong,” Victor says. “She saved her own life.”

🎥 Watch the Full Episode

👉 The Slender Man Stabbing: How a Myth Nearly Turned Deadly

📺 Follow Hill of Justice

YouTube: @HillOfJustice
Instagram: @HillOfJustice

Produced by Juming Delmas Studios