15 year old Morgan Geyser, one of the culprits in the infamous Slenderman stabbing that took place on May 31, 2014, has been sentenced to 40 years in a mental institution after being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Geyser, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia a few months after the attack took place, will spend a minimum of three years at the institution. If her mental health has shown enough progress, she will have a chance to be discharged into the community. Even if this does come to pass, though, Geyser could still be monitored by the state until she is 37 years old.

For those unfamiliar with the case, Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured a classmate into a park in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and then proceeded to stab her 19 times. According to Geyser and Weier, the crime was committed in an attempt to impress Slenderman, the fictional character that originated as a "Creepypasta" and has since been seen in various films and poorly-received video games. Luckily, the victim survived the assault from Geyser and Weier.

The Slenderman stabbing took place at the height of the character's popularity, but the character is still being used today. In fact, a feature film based on Slenderman is set to release on August 24, 2018. Thanks to the real-life violence associated with Slenderman, the film has found itself as the source of some controversy, with Weier's father speaking out against it shortly after the first trailer was released.

If the Slenderman film adaptation is successful, it could reignite interest in the character, and potentially lead to more video games. There hasn't been a major new video game based on Slenderman since 2014's Slender Rising 2 on iOS mobile devices, so fans of the series may be open to a reboot on current-gen home consoles.

In the meantime, hopefully this sentencing helps the victim and her family get some closure, and sees Geyser receive proper mental health treatment.

Source: CNN