TW: Mentions of murder, physical and psychological abuse
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Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison on December 28 2023. She served 8 years after pleading guilty to participating in the murder of her mother Clauddine ‘DeeDee’ Blanchard. She served 85% of her sentence and was granted parole. Nick Godejohn, her co-conspirator is still serving life in prison for his role in the crime.
Why was ‘DeeDee’ Blanchard murdered?
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was the victim of Munchausen by proxy, now known as factitious disorder imposed on another.
It isa condition in which a caregiver exaggerates, induces or deliberately worsens illnesses in order to get medical care and attention for themselves. Gypsy was made to believe that she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, vision and hearing impairments, and seizures according to ABC. She was also made to use a wheelchair at all times and a feeding tube for medication and sustenance.
According to her father Rod Blanchard who spoke to ABC’s 20/20:
By the time Gypsy was 8 years old, Rod says Dee Dee told him that Gypsy had “leukemia, paralyzed, muscular dystrophy, Gypsy was also using a wheelchair and now had a feeding tube.
Gypsy spent her entire early life in a house she shared with her mother but as she grew older she became curious about the world and wanted to experience more of it. ‘Dee Dee' rejected this notion as she wanted to have full control of Gypsy’s life including her friends or lack thereof and especially boys.
Gypsy created an online dating profile and met Nicholas Godejohn with whom she fell in love and had a secret relationship for two and a half years.
Gypsy and Nick were arrested after ‘Dee Dee’s’ body was found in their home and stabbed to death. It was revealed that the couple planned to murder the mother after she became physically abusive to Gypsy, who said:
She got jealous, because I was spending a little too much attention on him, and she had ordered me to stay away from him. And needless to say, that was a very long argument that lasted a couple weeks…Yelling, throwing things, calling me names: b----, slut, whore
The murder
The couple coordinated an attack on the mother at the Blanchard home. Nickolas waited for Gypsy’s signal to come and was handed gloves, duct tape, and a knife. She then hid in the bathroom while Nicholas stabbed her mother to death.
They went on the run and were caught a few days later. She was sentenced to 10 years in jail while he was sentenced to life.
The book
After being released on parole, Gypsy updated her social media accounts and went on several media appearances to share the cautionary tale of her life. She also recently published a book titled Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom which includes essays she wrote during prison and excerpts from interviews conducted in jail.
As per the summary, the book goes into how she:
Grew up enduring physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her mother Dee Dee including unnecessary medication and surgery. But her desperate attempts to escape a lifetime of isolation led Gypsy into the grip of another abuser, ultimately resulting in her mother’s murder.
Read more:
⋙ Missing French teen: Police investigating murder from a week before Lina's disappearance
⋙ Son of Sam: Everything to know about this murderous cult and Sam himself
⋙ Man meets unexpected fate when he breaks into murder-themed escape room
Sources:
ABC News: How a young woman forced to used a wheel chair, treated for several illnesses ended up in prison for her mother's murder
People: Gypsy Rose Blanchard Released from 10-Year Prison Sentence Early After Mother's Murder: 'I'm Ready'
Amazon: Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom
