Her scars — from the 19 times she was stabbed on May 31, 2014 — testify to that moment of betrayal. But, they also mark her incredible strength to survive.
“I’ve come to accept all of the scars that I have,” Leutner said in an exclusive interview with ABC’s David Muir. “It’s just a part of me. I don’t think much of them. They will probably go away and fade eventually.”
Watch the full story with David Muir on “20/20” Friday, Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC
Leutner survived an attack that captured headlines worldwide after her assailants, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, claimed they did it to please a fictional character named “Slender Man.” Leutner, Geyser and Weier were all 12 years old at the time.
“20/20,” which has followed Leutner’s case closely since her attack as well as her recovery for years, spoke with her parents exclusively in 2014. Leutner, who was still recovering after the stabbing, appeared alongside her parents on “20/20” but chose not to speak out at that time.
Now 17, Leutner has worked hard over the last five years to heal and rebuild a normal life. She told ABC News that she was ready to reclaim her story.
“I feel like it’s time for people to see my side rather than everyone else’s,” she said.
Payton, Morgan and Anissa become friends
In 2014, Leutner was a sixth-grader in Waukesha, Wisconsin, when Geyser and Weier attacked her after a slumber party at Geyser’s home. They had been celebrating Geyser’s birthday the previous night.
Leutner described herself as hopeful and positive before the attack, and said she’d tried to see the good in people, including Geyser. Leutner said Geyser had struggled to make friends and that in fourth grade she’d befriended Geyser herself.
“She was sitting all by herself and I didn’t think anyone should have to sit by themselves,” Leutner told Muir.
While they were friends, Leutner said, Geyser seemed like a happy girl, albeit “a little lonely.” They would have sleepovers together, play outside and draw — “all the things that kids do,” Leutner said.
Leutner said she’d considered Geyser her best friend and thought Geyser was somebody she could trust.
“She was funny, I will give you that,” Leutner said. “She had a lot of jokes to tell. … She was great at drawing and her imagination always kept things fun.”
