What, ultimately, was Morgan diagnosed with? The final diagnosis, both in the psychological report and in my report are schizophrenia, unspecified, 295.90... oppositional defiant disorder, 313.81... and bronchial asthma, mild, intermittent, J45.2. What is schizophrenia? Schizophrenia is one of the most serious and one of the most studied mental illnesses of human beings. Approximately 1% of the population succumbs to schizophrenia. It is a psychotic illness. It's through a combination of genetic predisposition and then stress placed on the person to begin manifesting symptoms. Patients lose track of reality in a number of ways. One would be hallucinations. One could hear voices, one could see visions one could feel things crawling on them. Delusions, on the other hand, don't have to do with sensing something, they have to do with a thought. So, for example, believing that Slenderman is real is a delusion. Saying that you saw Slenderman is a visual hallucination. Is the pile getting bigger? Ha! Jumping in the leaves. And that's one of my favorites. I raked up a bunch of leaves in the back yard and... she came flying in. Nice action shot. Yeah, it's hard for us to imagine that she was having problems. It's hard to process. None of us... saw this coming. Morgan recalls having hallucinations as early as three. She remembers... seeing ghosts at night, as young as three, that would bite her and pull her hair. But from what I understand, for the most part they were friendly, too. She even said that she... she tried to tell us about it once, and that we just told her to go back to bed, but I don't have any recollection of that. And really, how often do your children tell you at bedtime that
they're seeing something or hearing something when they're that age?
"A monster's in my closet," or "something's under my bed," you know, just because they don't want to go to bed.
It's hard because I haven't been able to discuss these things with Morgan, because she's been incarcerated for the entire time that I've...
I've known... that she's... that she's had these symptoms.
"She expressed the ability to see and hear things that other people are not able to hear or see.
Things like unicorns.
She at one point digressed into fairly rambling discussion about a student in her class being a pegasus.
When I saw her last week, a few days before, Snape had come to visit her and kept her up until 3: by Morgan's report."
Snape?
“Snape."
Who is that?
"A "Harry Potter" character."
"She also will say not just that she's heard things,
but that since as early as three, she's had some sensory-perceptual distortions.
She might see a person
change slightly or see colors.
She doesn’t have much concern about whether she gets a long prison sentence, because, wherever she is, she will use Vulcan mind control to make herself feel, to make herself believe whatever she likes.
And so, even under very stressful circumstances, she doesn't feel the stress because of this...
what she described to be Vulcan mind control.
How about her... her cell?
I would consider her cell disorganized.
She has papers scattered about the floor.
Have you ever suggested picking them up?
Yes, I have. And she stated that she liked the papers there because they made it feel less empty.
And she is in the room alone?
Correct.
She said, "Seeing my friends, none of these things are dangerous. These friends can't disappear. They're important to me."
Was she referring to real world friends or fictional friends?
Fictional, I believe.
She's not allowed to hug her family or touch them?
Not in our facility.
Right.
She made clear that her primary concern was with her relationship with Slenderman,
and she felt like if she says the wrong thing, if she somehow upsets Slenderman, not only hers but her family's lives could be in danger. With childhood schizophrenia, almost everyone develops, eventually, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms. What's unique about Morgan's circumstance is that a severe course is so predictable. Well, we knew her diagnosis before we went to meet them at the hospital. We had a conference call with two of the doctors, so we were... we were prepared. And the reason that we all went up there, actually, was so that we could tell Morgan what her diagnosis was. And we thought that it would be helpful for her to know that her father also... had the same mental illness, because we had never told her previously that Matt had schizophrenia. We were very worried about the way that she might react to learning that she has schizophrenia because Morgan... Morgan's a very smart girl, and she's been reading... Which makes me think that she knew. Yeah. I think when they told her, she was probably like... Not surprised..."Well, that's what I would've guessed... if I had to diagnose myself."
What I think is that Morgan knows that other people don't see her hallucinations, but they're still very real to her.
Like, in her head they are real, and they're there with her. They're there.
But I think that she knows that other people don't see them. Otherwise, why would she make an attempt to...
Cover it up.
Mm-hmm.
...hide them from us, exactly.
It's because she doesn't want to lose them.
She's afraid they would be taken from her.
"This is the doll house, or the components for a doll house, that Morgan made while she was housed at Washington County Juvenile Detention Center. And she just put so much... detail into it, it's amazing. She's not allowed to have scissors, so all of these... all of these tiny little pieces she ripped by hand. This is a television, and these are some of her little cartoon characters that she likes to draw.
This actually, I think, is a character that's modeled after Spock. When I watched her do a couple of the dolls Page 39/51
and the... and the clothing, and she said what was surprising is how few times she had to start over. Like, she was able to just be meticulous about... Here's some food. I think this is salad and a piece of pizza. A salad and a piece of pizza. Here's a little laptop computer. See there's even detail on the screen. Look at the cute little heart on the front of the computer. This looks like it's another TV. Oh, and there's... how appropriate. There's a courtroom drama playing in the background. When I ask her what she wants to watch on TV that night... it's one of the things I usually ask her when I talk to her on the phone... she'll say that it depends on whose turn it is to decide. And she's in a cell by herself, so she's the only person there. I do a lot of stuff with running numbers in my head. I do... I try to put up static, almost, is how I describe it. I wish that I could talk to her about... like, I have... right now, there's like patterns of light and geometric shapes that's, like, always racing. Like always, like right now. Pshew, pshew, pshew, pshew, pshew, pshew. I always wanted to know if she sees that stuff, too. Everything seems normal to me, because it's... it's my everything.
This is how I've always seen things.
So, it doesn't seem weird to me that like,
"Oh that's not how you see street lights?"
or
"Oh, that's weird."
I don't know if that was everyone that had like a weird little visual... thing going on...
like the glaring demon, devil.
Like that you're like,
"Okay, this is clearly not real."
But it doesn't matter. Like, I've had where... like you... you can see it and you know it's not real...
but it totally doesn't matter, because you're still terrified of it.
Like, I know that there's...
I know The Devil's not in the backseat,
but The Devil is in the backseat.
You know?
Yeah, sometimes you know it's not real,
but it still smells, tastes, and looks real, so it's real."
Could you just describe, in general terms, what you found in the bedroom when you went through it?
There were... numerous... notebooks
and pieces of paper with drawings and writings
pertaining to the Slenderman character.
Where was all this stuff located?
All in Morgan's bedroom.
When you ask Morgan...
"What if Slenderman doesn't exist?"
She can't tolerate that.
She becomes somewhat oppositional, and says
She Knows it's True,
and it can't be Proven Untrue,
so it's True.
Did Morgan use the words
"It had to be done?"
Yes.
Did you tell her to say that?
I did not.
She's volunteering this to you?
Correct.
That seems like an unusual thing to say. It does. Did you ask her what she meant by that? I did. And did you have to ask her multiple times? I did. Okay, after you asked her multiple times what she meant by "It had to be done," what did she offer you or what did she say? She told me that the man ordered it. Yes, I did. She held up three fingers. Like three? Three. What did that... did you try to understand what that meant? I asked her if that meant three years ago, and she said, "No, at age three." She believed that she communicated telepathically with Slenderman, and that... once the communication began, that she had to do
what it was that Slenderman demanded. And if she didn't do what was demanded, her family wouldn't be safe? She wouldn't be safe, her family wouldn't be safe. Dr. Robbins, was Morgan's entry into this particular crime because of her psychosis? I believe so. It bears saying that schizophrenia, in and of itself, is not a dangerous illness. There are many 35-year-olds who have schizophrenia who don't have to be incarcerated, who can be managed in a community. However, there's a second part to that. When your delusion... when your fixed delusion tells you to kill people... and when your... insight doesn't allow you to seek treatment, then schizophrenia becomes dangerous. It is a dangerous illness untreated... and hence... we're here. You are just so lost in your illness that no one knew about... and then for people just to hate her like that, just hate you... "I hate that little girl. I hope she burns." Like, having people call my house and tell me, "You're going to burn in hell and so is your daughter." People don't understand that... she loves Bella. We love Bella... so much, and she still talks about her like they're friends. Oh my god. She loves her like I love her. And like, for people to talk about her the way they do, it's like... Morgan loved Bella. She's... like, how sick are you that you would do that to your best friend? Because you're afraid of something happening, or because you want something happen. You want to become something... because your illness dictated that this is something you need to be. Just blows me away... that people are like that. It just makes me sad. I wish people knew. The regular ones are just the regular cat treats that you're used to. Just to say, "I love you, kitty." Cat Snacks are only 2.99 at your local grocery store. Thank you. Detective, did you have a chance to watch that compilation? I saw the compilation. And would you agree that that's you present in that room with Morgan Geyser?
Those were... pieces of the interview that was me and Morgan together.
Did you tell Morgan she could have parents available to talk to before you interrogated her?
I did not tell her that, because that wasn't an option.
You weren't going to let her parents be present?
Correct.
Or let her even have a phone call to talk to them?
Um, we did not offer her a phone call.
At some point were you provided with Anissa's phone?
Yes, I was.
Did you have a chance to look at any of the messages on that phone?
Yes, I did. It says,
"This is my final wish to those who care..."
Mm-hmm.
Where did you locate the suspects?
They were located right by I-94 in Waukesha County.
Did you notice anything about Anissa's emotional state when you had contact with her?
She said she was scared,
and I asked what was she scared of?
And do you recall what she said to you?
She made mention that if she told me, I would think that she was crazy,
and I told her that I didn't think anybody was crazy.
Okay.
Can you ask the question again please?
One of the first communications before any of the search requests
was found on Anissa's phone that was provided by her parents, correct?
Correct.
It was basically a goodbye letter.
Correct?
Yes.
And basically indicated that people should remember who she was, not grieve for her...
and that she wouldn't do them harm.
Correct.
Nothing further,
Your Honor.
Aiden?
Wrap it up, chief. we got places to go. All right? We have to run over to the school for a mandatory meeting about iPads... setting up their iPad... and using their iPad, and... the disadvantages they'll be at if they're not allowed to use their iPad. You know? I don't think anybody can really, you know, begrudge me for thinking the way I do about... a bunch of fifth graders getting iPads. You know, based on what this family has been through. At the same token... you know, I don't want to hinder his learning. I guess I just need to... get over my own reservations about it.
And about the iPads.
If I'd had my way, he wouldn't have one.
You have a child that is... incarcerated, for lack of a better term...
but your other life still has to go on,
so you still have to be able to support your other children
with the activities that they're in,
and you do your best to support your children
that you can't have access to and have to explain to Anissa that,
"Well, I might not be able to come up on Tuesday,
because Aiden has a pack meeting.
I have to be there for that."
I've had conversations with my oldest son. I was out in the backyard. He comes outside, he says to me, "What's wrong?" That's when I told him... it's just stressful as hell...
trying to keep everything as balanced as it can possibly be.
You never get a day off... and it wears on you.
It just really wears the shit outta ya.
Because you have to do so much more...
to try to keep everybody in a positive place, including yourself.
It's... It's mentally... and emotionally and physically just draining.
I knew it was always a risk, simply because of genetics
that one of our children might develop schizophrenia.
I never thought something like this would happen.
Matt is so... He's so high functioning and he's so... stable.
I just know that he's developed an awareness of What's Real and What's Not.
And I think, for Morgan, those lines are still pretty blurry... but it's all still very real to her.
In general, Morgan's just becoming more and more lost and involved in
This World of Imaginary Friends that she has.
The best possible situation would be that she ends up in an environment where she can receive treatment for her schizophrenia, and that would be a psychiatric facility. Not prison. She can't go to prison.
I think it's kind of cruel of the courts to have a law where you can take two girls who are not troublemakers prior...
And they did not try to hide what they did.
They did not lie about what they did.
They were very truthful for it.
And it's like they're being punished extra because of it.
Well, let's hope the judge is gonna have some good news.
Some very good news.
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