Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been released from prison

 

Overview of Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been released from prison

This article describes the release of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who convinced her boyfriend to kill her mother after years of being subjected to her mother's psychological and physical abuse. Gypsy, under her mother's influence, pretended to suffer from various severe illnesses. The case gained national attention when it was revealed that Gypsy's mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, had kept her captive and forced her to use a wheelchair and feeding tube.

Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder where caregivers fabricate or exaggerate their children's illnesses to gain sympathy. Gypsy and her mother received attention, charitable donations, and even a home through their deceptive scheme. The abuse included unnecessary medical procedures, such as the removal of Gypsy's salivary glands.

As the abuse turned physical, Gypsy realized she wasn't as sick as her mother claimed and desired freedom. She persuaded her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to kill her mother, leading to Godejohn's life sentence. Gypsy received a 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

The article explores the complex dynamics of the case, including Gypsy's age deception, legal proceedings, and the lasting impact of her imprisonment. It mentions Gypsy's marriage to Ryan Scott Anderson while in prison and highlights the case's media coverage, including documentaries, miniseries, and an upcoming docuseries. The narrative emphasizes the shocking nature of the case and its portrayal in various forms of media.

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard scheduled for release years after convincing her boyfriend to kill her mother.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the Missouri woman who convinced an online boyfriend to kill her mother, is set to be paroled on Thursday. This comes years after she was compelled to pretend, under her mother's influence, that she suffered from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and other severe illnesses.

The case gained national tabloid attention when it was revealed that Gypsy Blanchard's mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, murdered in 2015, had essentially kept her daughter captive. Gypsy was forced to use a wheelchair and feeding tube.

As it turned out, Gypsy Blanchard, now 32, was perfectly healthy, contrary to the developmental delays her friends had always believed. Her mother suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder where parents or caregivers seek sympathy by fabricating or exaggerating their children's illnesses, as explained by her trial attorney, Michael Stanfield.

People were consistently praising Dee Dee for being a wonderful mother, and she thrived on all that attention," he said.

Through their deceptive scheme, the mother and daughter encountered country star Miranda Lambert, received charitable donations, enjoyed a trip to Disney World, and were even provided a home near Springfield by Habitat for Humanity.

Stanfield revealed that Gypsy Blanchard's mother managed to deceive doctors by claiming her daughter's medical records were lost in Hurricane Katrina. If doctors became too inquisitive, she simply sought out a new physician, going to the extent of shaving the girl's head to support her fabricated narrative. One of the unnecessary medical procedures Gypsy Blanchard underwent was the removal of her salivary glands. Her mother persuaded doctors of its necessity by inducing drooling with a topical anesthetic.

Gypsy Blanchard, who had limited schooling and minimal contact with people other than her mother, was especially misled, particularly during her younger years, according to Stanfield.

The doctors seem to confirm everything that you're being told. The outside world is telling you that your mother is a wonderful, loving, caring person. What other idea can you have?" Stanfield said.

However, the abuse escalated to physical violence, according to Stanfield. Gypsy testified that her mother beat and chained her to a bed. Gradually, Gypsy began to realize that she wasn't as sick as her mom claimed.

"I wanted to be free of her hold on me," Gypsy testified during the 2018 trial of her former boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn of Big Bend, Wisconsin, who is now serving a life sentence for the killing. She continued, "I talked him into it."

When she testified at his trial, prosecutors had already offered her a deal due to the abuse she had endured. In exchange for pleading guilty in 2016 to second-degree murder, she received a 10-year prison sentence. The initial first-degree murder charge, which would have meant a life term, was amended.

Nick was so in love with her and so obsessed with her that he would do anything," argued Godejohn's trial attorney, Dewayne Perry, in court, asserting that his client has autism and was manipulated.

Prosecutors, on the other hand, contended that his motivation was driven by sexual desires and a wish to be with Gypsy Blanchard, whom he met on a Christian dating website.

According to the probable cause statement, Gypsy Blanchard provided the knife and concealed herself in a bathroom while Godejohn repeatedly stabbed her mother. They eventually traveled by bus to Wisconsin, where they were apprehended. Since then, she has been incarcerated at a state women's prison in Chillicothe.

"Things are not always as they appear," remarked Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott as the peculiar revelations began to surface.

Even Gypsy's age was a deception. Her mother had fabricated a younger age to facilitate the fraud, taking advantage of Gypsy's small stature: just 4 feet, 11 inches (150 centimeters) tall.

Law enforcement initially faced confusion, resulting in the original court documents listing three different ages for her, with the youngest being 19. In reality, she was 23.

Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson characterized it as "one of the most extraordinary and unusual cases we have seen."

Stanfield recalled that the first time he met Gypsy, she became breathless walking the 75 yards (69 meters) from the elevator to the room where he spoke with her. He described her as malnourished and physically frail.

I can honestly say I've rarely had a client who looks exceedingly better after doing a fairly long prison sentence," Stanfield said. "Prison is generally not a place where you become happy and healthy. And I say that because, to me, that's kind of the evidence to the rest of the world as to just how bad what Gypsy was going through really was."

Gypsy Blanchard later expressed that it wasn't until her arrest that she realized how healthy she was. However, this realization took time. Eventually, she married Ryan Scott Anderson, now 37, of Saint Charles, Louisiana, while still behind bars.

The peculiar case has been featured in the 2017 HBO documentary "Mommy Dead and Dearest," the 2019 Hulu miniseries "The Act," and an upcoming Lifetime docuseries titled "The Prison Confession of Gypsy Rose Blanchard." Daytime television psychologist "Dr. Phil" McGraw conducted an interview with her from prison. Additionally, the novel "Darling Rose Gold" draws inspiration from the story, and Blanchard's own account, "Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom," is scheduled for publication next month.