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Trigger Warning: Topics of abuse and death are detailed extensively in this article.
Hey, this is Aniya! Many of you have heard of the murder case involving Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother, Dee Dee, through social media, talk around campus, or watching the numerous shows surrounding this case. It is definitely one of the most prominent and controversial murders of our time. In this issue of our column, we will be covering the many details of this case, some of which you may not even believe.
Before:
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was born on July 27, 1991 to her parents Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard and Rod Blanchard. She was born in Golden Meadow, Louisiana to her mother Dee Dee who divorced shortly after her daughter’s birth. In 2008, Gypsy and her mother relocated to Springfield, Missouri after their home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina three years prior. They only moved here after receiving an accessible house due to Gypsy’s “illnesses” built by Habitat for Humanity.
In 1991, when Gypsy was three months old, her mother attempted to diagnose her with sleep apnea. When Gypsy was eight years old, she was said to have leukemia and muscle dystrophy, which forced her to be in a wheelchair and use a feeding tube. Other illnesses Dee Dee claimed Gypsy had included seizures, asthma, and visual impairments. Due to all these supposed medical issues, Gypsy took many medications and used a breathing machine to sleep. She underwent several surgical procedures, notable ones include removing her salivary glands and many optical related surgeries. Soon, Gypsy’s teeth began to rot and they were also removed.
In 2005, when Gypsy was 14 years old, she saw a neurologist in Missouri who believed she was a victim of Munchausen Syndrome by proxy. This is an illness where the caregiver, in this case Dee Dee, causes or makes up for an illness or injury to a person in their care. This entails that all of the illnesses Gypsy was said to have were fake and that she did not need many of the procedures given to her or medicine.
Along the journey, doctors began to learn that some of Gypsy’s illnesses were fabricated. In one case, Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein told Gypsy that she did not have muscular dystrophy or cerebral palsy, as Dee Dee claimed. At this revelation, Dee Dee stormed out of the room and refused to see the doctor again. In 2009, an anonymous report was made to the authorities which stated that Gypsy’s illnesses had no medical basis. To refute this, Dee Dee claimed that most of Gypsy’s medical records were lost in Hurricane Katrina. Therefore, when the caseworkers came to investigate, Dee Dee was able to convince them that everything was alright.
As time went on, Gypsy was getting closer to turning 18, meaning she would no longer need her mother. This is when Dee Dee started to lie about Gypsy’s age, even going as far as to change the dates on Gypsy’s birth certificate. In her teenage years, Gypsy started to question why her life looked so different from every other person her age. She began to question her own age and why she wasn’t allowed to do things that other people were doing including having a boyfriend or even friends. Thus, she began questioning her medical issues. Out of curiosity, she began to stand up from her wheelchair. At this sight, Dee Dee would chain Gypsy to her bed and hit her with coat hangers.
Gypsy was able to convince her mother to buy her a computer and a phone, which she used to message men in secret. In 2011, she used this secret communication service to run away with a man who she had met at a science fiction convention. Soon, Dee Dee tracked them down, and scared the man off by saying Gypsy was a minor, even though she was 19 at the time. When they returned home, Dee Dee smashed Gypsy’s computer and chained her to the bed like before.
In 2012, Gypsy was able to get back on the internet where she met Nicholas Godejohn on a Christian dating site. For around two years, Gypsy and Godejohn messaged back and forth, pursuing a romantic relationship. In March of 2015, Gypsy and Godejohn finally set up a date to meet up at a movie theater in Gypsy’s hometown, Springfield. In hopes of receiving approval to date from Dee Dee, Gypsy invited her to come along. When Dee Dee met Godejohn, she did not approve of this relationship, which Gypsy believed was due to jealousy. At this point, Gypsy decided she wanted her mother dead, in sight of freedom.
Gypsy and Godejohn began devising a plan to murder Dee Dee. Gypsy convinced Godejohn to commit the murder by telling him everything Dee Dee did to her and by saying they could be together once she was dead. On June 9th, 2015, the plan took place.
After:
On the night of the murder, Dee Dee and Gypsy gave each other manicures. Gypsy promised to be a “good girl” but after Dee Dee had fallen asleep, she retreated to the bathroom while Godejohn stabbed her mother to death. Gypsy and Godejohn allegedly stole $4,000, drove straight to “Days Inn”, and ate brownies while mailing the knife that was used to kill Dee Dee back to Godejohn’s family house in Wisconsin.
The two returned to Godejohn’s house and on June 14th, 2015, Gypsy posted on a shared facebook account that she had killed her mother, “That b**** is dead!”. In an interview, Gypsy confessed to making the posts because she wanted her mothers dead body to be found. And after Dee Dee’s friends were not able to get ahold of her, the situation was reported to the police and Dee Dee’s body was found later that day.
Police traced the IP address of the Facebook post back to Godejohn’s house where Gypsy and him were staying. The police raided Godejohn’s house and arrested both Godejohn and Gypsy on counts of murder and felony armed criminal action. Gypsy and Godejohn’s trial concluded with Gypsy getting 10 years in prison by pleading second degree murder and Godejohn being served a life sentence for first degree murder.
Gypsy got released on December 28th of last year after serving 85% of her 10 year sentence. Fame followed soon after.
There are a plethora of documentaries and shows based on her case, one of the more popular ones being “The Act” which stars Joey King and Patricia Arquette. And as many may know, Gypsy went viral on social media and is being treated as a celebrity of sorts. Following her release, Gypsy has been spotted with her husband, Ryan Anderson whom she married in prison, and fans of her case are glad to see the social media accounts she created and has been posting on.
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Hi, Roxy talking. I’m really glad that this is coming out as our first official article for our column. I think that this is a super relevant topic right now, especially regarding all the fame surrounding Gypsy on social media currently. I hope you guys enjoyed our article!
Sources:
Sager, Jessica. “Where Is Gypsy Rose Blanchard Now? Revisiting Her Munchausen by Proxy Case After Her Prison Release”. People, 28 December 2023, https://people.com/where-is-Gypsy-rose-Gypsy-now-8401728 . Accessed 29 February 2024.
Hollingsworth, Heather. “Gypsy Rose Blanchard out of prison years after persuading boyfriend to kill her abusive mother”. AP News, 28 December 2023, https://apnews.com/article/Gypsy-rose-Gypsy-munchausen-mother-killed-b3a792e32b72eb13feed9a73df2065fd . Accessed 29 February 2024
https://www.thecut.com/2024/02/Gypsy-rose-Gypsy-americas-sweetheart.html
Bolin, Alice. “Gypsy Rose Blanchard, America’s Sweetheart”. The CUT, 6 February 2024, https://www.thecut.com/2024/02/Gypsy-rose-Gypsy-americas-sweetheart.html . Accessed 29 February 2024
Kettler, Sara. “The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother.” Biography, 28 December 2023, https://www.biography.com/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder. Accessed 29 February 2024.
https://www.biography.com/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-mother-dee-dee-murder
Gibson, Kelsie. “A Timeline of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Murder Case and Release From Prison.” People, 2 January 2024, https://people.com/gypsy-rose-blanchard-murder-case-timeline-8421449. Accessed 28 February 2024.
Darby, Margaret. “An in-depth timeline of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s childhood, murder case and release from prison.” Deseret News, 8 January 2024, https://www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2024/1/8/24024249/gypsy-rose-blanchard-timeline-murder/. Accessed 28 February 2024.
