After close to a decade in prison for the murder of her mother, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was able to get an early release. For those unfamiliar with her case and the 2015 murder of her mother, Claudine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard, we'll start out with the background information. This is one of the more fascinating cases this writer has studied, and easily one of the most infamous of the last decade, so buckle up!
Gypsy Rose Blanchard set to be paroled years after persuading boyfriend to kill her abusive mother https://t.co/i4vhmDuMuj
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 28, 2023
Gypsy Rose was born on July 29, 1991, and soon after, her mother convinced everyone around them that she was suffering from numerous illnesses. Shortly after her birth, while Gypsy Rose was still just a baby, Dee Dee claimed she had sleep apnea and had to sleep with a breathing machine as a result. As she grew older, throughout her childhood, Dee Dee claimed that Gypsy suffered from illnesses like muscular dystrophy and leukemia. Dee Dee would even shave Gypsy Rose's head to maintain the illusion that she was receiving chemotherapy. Dee Dee forced Gypsy Rose to take unnecessary medications and made her use a wheelchair, despite Gypsy being able to walk. Gypsy was also forced into a feeding tube that she did not need.
The litany of illnesses Dee Dee claimed Gypsy had included seizures, asthma, cerebral palsy, cognitive disabilities, paralysis, and hearing and visual impairments. She underwent so many surgical procedures, one of which was the removal of her salivary glands. When her teeth started to rot, her mother had a dentist pull them all. However, because Dee Dee, by all outward appearances, came off as a loving and doting mother, people believed her. Dee Dee also claimed to have been a victim of Hurricane Katrina, which allowed her to have a plausible story to cover for missing medical records. When family members became suspicious, Dee Dee would just move. Doctors who questioned claims of Gypsy's ailments caused Dee Dee to find different doctors. Habitat for Humanity even built them a home in Springfield, MO in 2008.
It is evident that Gypsy was the victim of a form of abuse called Munchausen syndrome by proxy, or Factitious Disorder, which is when a caretaker or guardian fabricates the appearance of health issues in another person to gain attention and sympathy for themselves. This constitutes severe physical and psychological abuse. Dee Dee even falsified Gypsy's birth certificate to present her as younger than she actually was. She also managed to get a judge to deem Gypsy mentally incompetent to handle her own care. At least one doctor, Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein, a neurologist in Missouri, had suspicions because no abnormalities showed up in Gypsy's blood tests and MRI scans, but he had stated that he had no firm evidence of abuse to bring to authorities.
Fast forward to 2011 when Gypsy makes her first attempt to escape her mother. She ran away with a man she had met at a sci-fi convention, but her mother managed to track her down and convince the man that Gypsy was a minor, although she was actually 19-years-old at the time. Dee Dee subsequently physically tied Gypsy to her bed at home and smashed her computer. Other punishments included withholding food.
Gypsy managed to get back online without her mother's knowledge and joined a Christian dating site, where she met Nicholas Godejohn. The rest, as they say, is history. Nicholas had a long and concerning history of mental illness himself, and a record that included indecent exposure. In a 2017 interview with Dr. Phil, Gypsy said Godejohn 'had multiple personalities that were violent and scary. He thought he was a 500-year-old vampire named Victor.'
She told Nicholas everything her mother had been doing to her and asked him to kill Dee Dee and save her. On June 12, 2015, the couple implemented their plan. Nicholas stabbed Dee Dee Blanchard 17 times while Gypsy hid in a bathroom.
Dee Dee's body was discovered on June 14, 2015, but Gypsy Rose was missing. The initial thought was that she had been abducted, but she and Godejohn had fled to Wisconsin to his parents' home. Gypsy, in an effort to mislead police, had made posts on her and her mother's shared Facebook account hoping they would make it appear to be a random killing.
Gypsy Rose pled guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 and was sentenced to 10 years, but Nicholas pled not guilty. However, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder in 2018 and he was sentenced to life in prison.
Responses to her release have varied wildly on X. Take a look.
she never should have done time in the first place https://t.co/avRFCPYdHo
— make oxtails cheap again (@thescryinggame) December 28, 2023
It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind we get after being abused
— flamingo 💫 (@asad_naureen) December 28, 2023
Yikes what will she do next?
— Maile (@MailePRMedia) December 28, 2023
are we going to ignore how she killed her mom? 😭. her mom was clinically depressed and gypsy decided to take advantage of that and murder her https://t.co/Wgha2Iycut
— tee (@inkclaired) December 28, 2023
I’m going to be a little controversial and then go to bed.
— Danielle (@dani_is_booked) December 28, 2023
1) Gypsy Rose was horrifically abused
2) She saw unaliving her mom as the only way out
3) her & the BF planned it together
4) She deserved jail time
5) She deserves to be released after serving her time
Enjoy freedom! https://t.co/b0RzwqoylU
As part of the update of her story, it's worth noting that she actually got married in June of 2022 to Ryan Scott Anderson. In an extra bit of drama, by November of the same year, Gypsy is quoted in a letter as saying 'It is with a heavy heart that this morning I made a decision to go ahead and file for annulment and end my marriage with Ryan. My marriage ends with no fault to either of us. I believe we are just in different places in our lives, and find it too difficult to walk a path together, at this point.'
As of this writing, no annulment or divorce papers have ever been filed, but an alleged email exchange with former Bachelorette star Josh Seiter indicated that she was still married to Anderson:
I don’t know who you are, or why you chose ME to try and find your 15 minutes of fame, but I have friends everywhere, and I know what lies you’ve told online,” she replied. “I am a married woman, my [husband’s] name is Ryan Anderson, and we do NOT appreciate crazy people like you spreading lies. … I may look cute, but I have a smart-a** mouth, and I’m not afraid to tell you to go f**k yourself.
This has definitely been a roller coaster of a case.
Just a reminder that people can indeed be convicted for crimes that they themselves did not commit, but persuaded others to commit for them.
— Dale Shaver (@DaleRShaver) December 28, 2023
*cough* Trump *cough* https://t.co/MiYbNba9AF
Of course there has to be the obligatory, yet completely unrelated, mention of Donald frickin' Trump, because for irrational Leftists, everything always comes back to him LOL #RentFree
wishing her all the best!!! and i really hope she’s getting all the help she needs as a survivor of severe abuse https://t.co/gxicDpJjEz
— Cloda is El Gee Bee Tee??? (@ClodaCatpt2) December 28, 2023
Oh, the human mind... fascinating, but sometimes totally terrifying...
— Eric Pilos (@ChampEirik) December 28, 2023
Abuse as severe as what Gypsy experienced actually is very difficult to come to terms with and heal from. This is something she was subjected to since her birth. It's literally all that she knew of life until she became much older. She fell through every systemic crack you could think of. We can only hope that she has received therapy while serving her time, and continues it after today. Prayers for healing going up for Gypsy Rose from us here at Twitchy.
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