Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose life story has garnered significant media attention, is set to be released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri. Convicted for her involvement in the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy, now 32, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016 but has been granted early release for good behavior.
Her story is a complex one, involving years of abuse under the guise of Munchausen by proxy, a condition where a guardian fakes illnesses in a child for attention and sympathy. Dee Dee Blanchard isolated her daughter, forced her to use a wheelchair, and subjected her to unnecessary medical procedures, claiming Gypsy had various illnesses. This abuse was part of a larger fraud scheme, with Dee Dee pretending they were Hurricane Katrina survivors and that Gypsy’s medical records were destroyed in the storm.
In June 2015, in a desperate attempt to escape this abusive environment, Gypsy arranged for her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to travel to their home in Springfield, Missouri, and kill her mother. After the murder, the couple fled to Wisconsin but were arrested days later. Godejohn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. In contrast, Gypsy’s sentence was reduced in light of the abuse she suffered.
Gypsy has expressed deep regret for her actions, acknowledging that she was desperate to escape but now realizes there were other ways to handle her situation. She advocates for people in abusive relationships to find alternatives to violence. With her release, she plans to share her side of the story through an eBook titled “Released” and a Lifetime docuseries “The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard.”
Her case has inspired various documentaries and the Hulu miniseries “The Act,” highlighting the bizarre and tragic details of her life. Gypsy’s release is scheduled for December 28, marking a new chapter in her life, one she hopes to use to advocate against abuse and violence.