GYPSY ROSE BLANCHARD’S RELEASE: A VICTIM'S JOURNEY FROM ABUSE TO INCARCERATION

After being subjected to years of medical, emotional and physical abuse which led to the murder of her mother, Gypsy Rose Blanchard will be released from prison on the 28th of December 2023.

A story that starts in 1991, Gypsy Rose was born to Clauddine ‘Dee Dee’ Blanchard, but grew up with anything but a normal childhood. As a baby, Dee Dee claimed Gypsy suffered from sleep apnea. That progressed to her claiming that Gypsy had leukaemia, muscular dystrophy, asthma, seizures, visual and hearing impairments, and even to go as far as claim that brain damage Gypsy had allegedly suffered caused her to have ‘the mind of a seven year old’. As Gypsy grew up, the dates on her birth certificate were changed by her mother to make her appear younger.

All of these were unsubstantiated claims by Dee Dee, that resulted in a complex list of medications and surgeries for her daughter- including the removal of her salivary glands and her teeth, which had rotted as a result of either her neglect, medications or possibly even the removal of her salivary glands. Gypsy also claimed the physical abuse was not just medical- it also extended to being denied food and being hit by her mother.

Gypsy’s hair was shaved to create the impression of cancer treatment, and she was forced to be fed through a feeding tube, sleep with a breathing machine and use a wheelchair. When a doctor would question her daughter's condition, Dee Dee would stop seeing them, but was able to create the facade of Gypsys illnesses through her training as a nurse- accurately faking symptoms and giving her medications to fake certain conditions.

Experts believe Dee Dee had munchausen syndrome by proxy- a mental health condition which caused her to falsify Gypsys medical history to gain sympathy and attention as she seemed to be caring for a severely ill child. Her ability to fake her daughter's conditions was aided by a claim to have been a victim of Hurricane Katrina- receiving assistance to move from Louisiana to Missouri, as well as a reason for missing medical records.

Moving to Missouri wasn’t the only assistance they received as a result of Dee Dee’s lies- her ability to charm those around her also resulted in being built a home by Habitat for Humanity, painted pink and complete with a wheelchair ramp for the wheelchair that Gypsy never needed, visits to concerts and to Disney World too. 

An anonymous report was made to authorities on the basis that Dee Dee’s claims of Gypsys illnesses had no medical basis, which led to multiple caseworkers visiting their home. Dee Dee convinced them this claim was false, and things continued as normal. This was until Gypsy tried running away from her mother. 

Gypsy tried to escape her abuse by running away with a man she’d met at a science fiction convention, until Dee Dee convinced the man that Gypsy was a minor, despite the fact that Gypsy was nineteen by this point. Upon her return home, Dee Dee physically restrained Gypsy to her bed and destroyed her computer. This happened in 2011.

By 2012, Gypsy had found means of getting back online, and met Nicholas (Nick) Godejohn on a Christian dating website. She confided in him about her mothers abuse and later asked him to kill Dee Dee. Three years after they initially met, Nick stabbed Dee Dee 17 times, while Gypsy stayed in the bathroom, covering her ears so as not to hear what was happening. They then went to Godejohn’s home in Wisconsin. Before their capture by police, Gypsy had made two posts on the Facebook account she shared with Dee Dee, later commenting that she did this because she wanted her mothers body to be found- in direct relation to a post that stated “That b***h is dead!” 

In an interview with Dr Phil, Gypsy said “I’m glad that I’m out of that situation, but I’m not happy she’s dead”. Talking about her time in prison, which will be over on the 28th of December 2023, after more than 7 years incarcerated, Gypsy has said she has had more freedom in there than she ever did with her mother. 

Gypsy Rose was living life as a hostage, held by her own mother. She was ‘afraid’ and believed she ‘didn’t have anyone to trust’, which was why she resulted to asking for Nicholas Godejohn to kill Dee Dee. Since the murder she has since said “I couldn’t just jump out of the wheelchair because I was afraid and I didn’t know what my mother would do. I didn’t have anyone to trust.”

In the aftermath of a life shadowed by manipulation and torment, Gypsy Rose Blanchard's story challenges us to rethink notions of justice. As she steps into a new chapter of her life, the echoes of abuse linger, prompting society to confront the complexities of her journey and question whether the legal system truly grasped the depths of her suffering.