Gypsy Rose Blanchard Set To Be Paroled Years After Persuading Boyfriend To Kill Her Abusive Mother - 3 minutes read
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a resident of Missouri, orchestrated the death of her mother through manipulation of an online paramour, a tale that unfolded in 2015. This narrative gained widespread attention when it was revealed that Gypsy's mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, met a tragic end after years of confining her daughter. The confinement involved the use of a wheelchair and a feeding tube, all based on a web of lies.
Remarkably, Gypsy Blanchard, now 32, was discovered to be in perfect health, contrary to the developmental delays her friends had believed. Her mother, it turned out, suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy—a psychological ailment where caregivers fabricate or exaggerate their children's illnesses to garner sympathy. This revelation was provided by her legal representative, Michael Stanfield.
Dee Dee received accolades for her purported maternal excellence, basking in the attention she garnered. According to Stanfield, people lauded her as a splendid mother, perpetuating the deception and fueling her desire for admiration.
The mother-daughter duo leveraged the ruse to meet country music sensation Miranda Lambert, secure charitable contributions, enjoy a trip to Disney World, and even acquire a home near Springfield courtesy of Habitat for Humanity.
To maintain the charade, Dee Dee manipulated medical professionals, claiming Gypsy's records were lost during Hurricane Katrina. If doctors pressed for details, she promptly switched healthcare providers, even resorting to shaving Gypsy's head to support her fabricated tales. Among the unnecessary medical interventions was the removal of Gypsy's salivary glands, justified with the use of topical anesthetic to induce drooling.
Stanfield noted that Gypsy, with minimal exposure to education or external interactions, was easily misled, particularly in her formative years. The testimony revealed that doctors validated everything she was told, reinforcing the narrative crafted by her mother.
As Gypsy matured, the abuse escalated into physical brutality. She testified that her mother subjected her to beatings and restrained her to a bed. Gradually, Gypsy began to grasp the disparity between her actual health and her mother's distorted narrative.
“I wanted to be free of her hold on me,” testified Gypsy during the 2018 trial of her former boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. He is currently serving a life sentence for the murder. Gypsy, having endured severe abuse, secured a deal with prosecutors by pleading guilty to second-degree murder in 2016, resulting in a 10-year prison sentence.
Godejohn's defense argued that his client, driven by love and obsession, was manipulated due to his autism. The confusion surrounding Gypsy's age during the initial legal proceedings underscored the extraordinary nature of the case.