Gypsy Rose Blanchard was known as a very ill child whose family needed financial support to help with her well-being. Being a single mother, Claudine Blanchard (also known as Dee Dee) kept everything in order and took care of her daughter for her well-being. However, their story is quite unexpected. Many of their neighbors thought of Gypsy as a poor, innocent girl that only loved her stuffed animals. Was that the case? Many were shocked as Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn were charged with first and second-degree counts of murder for the homicide case of Dee Dee Blanchard.

Gypsy Rose was born in Chackbay, LA in 1991. She was just a baby when her mother claimed she had sleep apnea. At the age of eight, Gypsy was “suffering” from leukemia and muscular dystrophy and required a wheelchair and feeding tube. The list would then go on, with Dee Dee stating her daughter had all sorts of illnesses. Gypsy was then prescribed a list of medications and had to sleep using a breathing machine. None of what her mother claimed was true. Gypsy did not need a feeding tube, and she could indeed walk on her own. She didn’t have cancer, and her mother shaved her hair to make it seem as if she was under chemotherapy treatment. Since Dee Dee appeared charming, many believed her lies. 

They were both victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, leading them to relocate to Springfield, Missouri in 2008 with a home built by Habitat For Humanity, a US nonprofit organization that helps low-income citizens buy homes. They also received benefits that included charity-sponsored visits to places such as concerts and Disney World. At the age of 14, Gypsy visited a neurologist that claimed she was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The doctor never reported the case because he believed there wasn’t enough evidence. Dee Dee kept the age of her daughter a secret to Gypsy; Gypsy believed she was born in 1993 when in reality she was born in 1991, making her 19. In 2012, Gypsy signed up for a Christian dating site. Where she met Nicholas Godejohn, who would later become an accomplice to the death of Dee Dee Blanchard. Nicholas Godejohn was a 23-year-old man who had a criminal record even before the homicide. He worked part-time and had different personalities. He and Gypsy met in 2012 and claimed she was “the love of his life”. He and Gypsy had a relationship for over two years. They would call each other names and think about their future together, without Gypsy’s mother. In 2015, Gypsy persuaded Nicholas to come to her house and give Dee Dee her last breath. 

On June 9th, 2015, Dee Dee Blanchard’s death was considered a homicide. After Dee Dee’s death, both fled to Nicholas’s hometown in Wisconsin. This plan backfired after Nicholas Godejohn got life in prison and Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years for the death of Dee Dee. Many say because Nicholas Godejohn was mentally ill and persuaded by Gypsy, he deserved less time in prison. Others also believe Gypsy doesn’t deserve being in jail at all, arguing she was a victim of abuse and it was an act of self-defense. Gypsy is now serving her sentence and is set to be released in 2026.