Was Gypsy Rose Blanchard a Victim or Villain? Revealing Her Full Story

Source: Business Insider

A profoundly sad story majorly filled with abuse, disturbing deception, and a tragic outcome marked by Dee Dee Blanchard's murder in 2015. Upon Gypsy’s request on June 14, 2015, her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, stabbed her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, to death. In September 2023, she received parole and was ultimately set free after serving 85% of her 10-year sentence for second-degree murder. 

The murder case of Dee Dee is often referred to as “unprecedented,” with layers of abuse, trauma, years of lies, and deceit. Research shows how Dee Dee’s tragic and avoidable death can be studied and understood as well as the psychological warfare that led to it. 

But was Gypsy Rose simply a victim? Or is there more to the story, hidden beneath years of manipulation and the psychological complexities of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy?

Let's delve deeper into Gypsy Rose's story to find tangled threads of truth, trauma, and a case that continues to challenge our understanding of right and wrong.

What was Gypsy Rose's Childhood Really Like?

Gypsy Rose Blanchard was born in Louisiana in 1991 and was raised solely by her mother, who was known as Dee Dee by their family and friends. 

Gypsy’s father Rod Blanchard split from her mom, Dee Dee, shortly after Gypsy was born in 1991. 

Source: Scripps News

The real story begins from here, when Rose was three months old, Dee Dee told doctors that her daughter didn’t seem to be breathing properly; consequently, she was diagnosed with sleep apnoea and given a breathing apparatus. However, Dee Dee was convinced that something else was wrong.

When Gypsy turned seven, Dee Dee met with her extended family and told them that her daughter had a chromosomal disorder, which meant her range of motion was limited and that she would have to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life. 

After this, her health troubles seemed endless, Gypsy Rose needed a feeding tube; she suffered from leukemia; she was then diagnosed with epilepsy and prescribed a drug that made her teeth crumble. 

Her mother, Dee Dee often clashed with her family over her daughter's care, and, one night, the two left the family home suddenly, leaving no further address.

What is Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy?

As many of us now know Gypsy Rose’s mother Dee Dee widely accepted that she was a victim of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, which is a mental illness and a form of child abuse, where a parent either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like their child is ill.

Dee Dee with her daughter Gypsy moved from Louisiana to Missouri, where Dee Dee became known as a paragon of virtue, caring for and home-schooling her sick daughter, who she said was “developmentally challenged”. 

This mom-and-daughter pair also appeared on local TV news shows, where Dee Dee leveraged kindness from strangers and charities. They were given many trips to Walt Disney World and tickets to a Miranda Lambert concert. Touched by their story, Lambert later sent Dee Dee a series of cheques to help her daughter, totaling $6,000.

And the number of hospital visits grew exponentially. Dee Dee further claimed that her daughter Gypsy was suffering from seizures, asthma, and hearing and visual impairments, and she went through a litany of surgeries, including procedures on her eyes and removal of her salivary glands. 

Gypsy’s teeth were pulled out. The biggest surprising point was that the young girl could walk, didn’t need a feeding tube, and didn’t have cancer either. Her head was bald just because her mother shaved off her hair. When she used to see the doctor, the medical tests often showed opposite results regarding Gypsy Rose’s diagnoses, but Dee Dee stopped seeing any doctors who questioned her daughter’s illness. 

Dee Dee however had some nurse’s training, so she could accurately describe symptoms, she sometimes even gave Gypsy Rose medication to mimic certain conditions.

How did Gypsy Rose meet Nicholas Godejohn?

Now, we can guess the pain Gypsy was experiencing, because she was homeschooling and spending most of her time with her mother Dee Dee, she didn’t have anyone to talk with.

So in 2013, Gypsy created a profile on Christiandatingforfree.com and soon met a man called Nicholas Godejohn, with whom she fell in love after just a few conversations. After a few days, the two realized that their online communication intensified and so to hide their relationship with Dee Dee, they shared a private Facebook page where they could messages to each other. 

Nicholas kept asking for an in-person meeting but Blanchard was terrified, she would think, what would he think when he saw her in her wheelchair? At some point, she finally confessed the truth that she didn’t need a wheelchair, and her mother forced her to use it. 

In early 2015, the two ultimately met in person for a screening of Cinderella at a local Missouri cinema. Gypsy Rose went with her mother and planned to make it look as if she was just meeting Godejohn for the first time; then, they snuck away to consummate the relationship in the bathroom. When her daughter reappeared, Dee Dee found out and was furious and forbade her from ever seeing Godejohn again.

When did the pair kill Dee Dee?

After the Gypsy and Nicholas meeting in the Cinderella screening, Dee Dee harshly tightened her control over her daughter, which led to Gypsy Rose and Nick hatching what they called 'Plan B': to kill Dee Dee on 12 June 2015.

Source: People

Gypsy Rose says that Godejohn entered their house late that night, and she handed him blue gloves and a giant serrated knife. Afterward, Nicholas texted her to "get your ass to the bathroom", and she obeyed, crouching on the floor, listening to her mother Dee Dee being brutally stabbed next door.

Later, Blanchard and Godejohn returned to his home in Wisconsin, where police found them. Gypsy had twice posted to the Facebook account she shared with her mother, once writing: "That b*tch is dead!" She later added the only reason why she made the posts was because she wanted Dee Dee’s body to be discovered.

What jail time did the pair receive?

In 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard took a plea deal and received a 10-year sentence for the crime of second-degree murder, Prosecutor Dan Patterson quoted her physical and medical abuse as being a huge mitigator, and the reason for receiving such a light sentence.

Source: News Leader

When Gypsy first arrived at the Greene Country Jail, she was sent to the hospital to determine what treatment she might need for her illness, but the doctor found nothing and gave her a clean bill of health. On the other hand, her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2018 and was sentenced to life in prison. 

Where is Gypsy Rose Now? 

Last month, on 18 December 2023, Blanchard was finally released after serving 85 percent of her sentence. Since then, she has become an overnight star on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, where she has 6.5 million and 6.6 million followers respectively.

While the social media handles were created in the months before her release to promote The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard docuseries, Gypsy gained the most attention with her "first selfie of freedom". In this photo, now 32 years old, Blanchard is posing in a mirror with a long ponytail pulled over her shoulder, and it received thousands of comments.

Source: TMZ

She also shared a photo with her new husband, Ryan Scott Anderson on her Instagram,  who she married while behind bars, captioned: "A New Year's Eve Eve kiss with my hubby". Ryan and Blanchard first started writing to each other in 2020 and married in 2022. 

Source: Women’s Health

After learning more about this complex and tragic story, it's hard not to wonder about the mother-daughter relationship. As a Reddit user writes, 

“I wouldn’t say Gypsy’s justified, but understandable. Why? Because she saw no way out and obviously if someone is so abused the way Gypsy was, it distorts the mind. She needed a way out one way or another.” What are your thoughts on this case? Did the punishment fit the crime? Do you think there was a chance for redemption? Do share in the comments below! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. Why was Gypsy Rose in prison?

Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 for conspiring with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to kill her mom, who mentally and physically abused Gypsy throughout her entire life.

Q. How did the Gypsy rise to meet her husband?

Gypsy Rose Blanchard first met her now husband Ryan Anderson in 2020 and married in July 2022 while serving time in prison for conspiring to murder her abusive mother, "Dee Dee" Blanchard.

Q. What is Gypsy Rose famous for?

Gypsy Rose made headlines recently since her release from prison after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 for conspiring with her then-boyfriend Nocolas Godejohn to kill her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard who mentally and physically abused Gypsy throughout her entire life. 

Q. How old was Gypsy Rose when she killed her mom?

According to Wikipedia Gypsy-Rose was 23 years old when she killed her mom with her then-boyfriend Nocolas Godejohn because her mom Dee Dee physically and mentally abused Gypsy throughout her entire life. 

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