12-year-old girls stab pal 19 times in woods

Prosecutors say two 12-year-old Wisconsin girls almost stabbed their 12-year-old friend to death in the woods to please a mythological creature they learned about online.

Both girls were charged as adults with first-degree attempted homicide in Waukesha County circuit court; they each face up to 60 years in prison if convicted. A court commissioner set bail at $500,000 (€367,000) per child. According to a criminal complaint, the girls had been planning to kill their friend for months and finally made the attempt in a park on Saturday morning, after a slumber party.

One of the girls told a detective they were trying to become “proxies” of Slender Man, a mythological demon-like character they learned about on creepypasta.wikia.com, a website about horror stories and legends. They planned to run away to the demon’s forest mansion after the slaying.