Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who conspired with her online ex-boyfriend to kill her mother, has been released from prison.
Gypsy, now 32, was originally handed a 10-year sentence after she encouraged her then-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to kill Clauddine (Dee Dee) Blanchard in June 2015.
On Thursday, after serving over eight years behind bars, Gypsy walked free. She left the Chillicothe Correctional Centre in Missouri around 3:30 a.m. local time, according to a regional Fox affiliate news station. There was little fanfare, and Gypsy was not seen as she exited.
She was granted parole in September after serving 85 per cent of her original sentence.
She served the majority of her sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Centre in Missouri. Her time held in the Greene County Jail prior to moving to the prison also counted toward her time.
Gypsy’s case made international headlines — and went on to become one of the most infamous criminal cases of the last decade — because of the shocking and sensational details surrounding the murder.
Who is Gypsy Rose Blanchard?
Gypsy, who is an abuse victim, was born in Louisiana in 1991.
She was made to believe by her mother for years that she had numerous serious diseases, including leukemia, muscular dystrophy and brain damage. Gypsy underwent numerous surgeries, used a wheelchair and an oxygen tank and often believed she was fighting for her life. Dee Dee regularly told others that Gypsy had the mental capacity of a seven-year-old.
Only after Gypsy’s arrest was it revealed that Dee Dee had fabricated the list of health conditions. It is widely believed Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental health disorder that involves a caregiver projecting diagnoses or inducing symptoms in a dependent for attention.
Gypsy has said she grew up relatively isolated and did not attend school.
Both Gypsy and her doctors were for years duped into various medical treatments by Dee Dee, who also had power of attorney over her daughter.
While telling others that Gypsy was seriously ill, Dee Dee collected donations from charitable groups, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Their family’s Springfield, Mo., home was gifted to them by Habitat for Humanity.
During her trial, Gypsy admitted that she asked Godejohn, who she met in 2012 on a Christian dating website, to kill her mother.
Gypsy told People Magazine in a new interview that at the time of Dee Dee’s murder, Gypsy was about to be forced into yet another unnecessary surgical procedure. She told the outlet she was “desperate to get out of that situation.”
Gypsy said any time she confronted her mother about her diagnoses or expressed confusion regarding her personal health, she would be “manipulated” and further abused by her mother.
After Gypsy’s urging, Godejohn in 2015 fatally stabbed Dee Dee 17 times while she slept in her home where she and Gypsy lived together. During the attack, Gypsy waited in the home’s bathroom with her ears covered.
The then-couple intended to run away together after the killing. They fled to Missouri but were later caught by law enforcement after Godejohn made posts to Dee Dee’s Facebook account.
Godejohn, who is no longer dating Gypsy, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder. He will not be granted parole.
This month, Gypsy told People she feels regret over Dee Dee’s murder. She said if she had a “chance to redo everything,” she would have either told a family member about her mother’s abuse or would have gone to the police.
“Nobody will ever hear me say I’m glad she’s dead or I’m proud of what I did. I regret it every single day,” she said. “She didn’t deserve that. She was a sick woman and unfortunately I wasn’t educated enough to see that. She deserved to be where I am, sitting in prison doing time for criminal behaviour.”
Gypsy hopes her story will serve as a cautionary tale to those in similar situations.
“I want to make sure that people in abusive relationships do not resort to murder,” she said. “It may seem like every avenue is closed off but there is always another way. Do anything, but don’t take this course of action.”
What happens to Gypsy Rose Blanchard now?
Gypsy said she is eager to reunite with her father, stepmother and her husband, 37-year-old Ryan Anderson, who she married in June 2022 while still in prison. She met Anderson as part of a pen pal program.
Already, Gypsy has projects on the go. Her e-book, titled Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom, will be published by Penguin Random House and available to purchase on Jan. 9, 2024. The co-authored biography includes exclusive in-prison interviews with Gypsy, details about her personal life as well as photos and sketches from throughout Gypsy’s life.
As well, a new Lifetime docuseries about Gypsy’s life, titled The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, is set to premiere on Jan. 5, 2024.
Like many fans, Gypsy hopes to meet Taylor Swift now that she’s out of prison. In November she told TMZ that she and her husband have already purchased tickets for the Kansas City Chiefs game on Dec. 31. Swift has been attended several of the team’s games in recent months to cheer on her boyfriend and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard mania
Despite being behind bars for the last eight years, Gypsy has solidified her place in the pop culture zeitgeist.
In the years since her arrest, Gypsy has given occasional interviews about her case. In 2018, during an appearance as part of the ABC TV show 20/20, Gypsy said she felt “more free in prison than living with my mom” because she could “live like a normal woman.”
When interviewed that same year for an Investigation Discovery documentary called Gypsy’s Revenge, Gypsy revealed more about her childhood. She said she “couldn’t just jump out of the wheelchair because I was afraid, and I didn’t know what my mother would do.”
The interviews provided rare glimpses into what Gypsy’s life may have been like prior to her incarceration — and only seemed to further the public’s overall interest in Gypsy.
Popular film and TV recreations of Gypsy’s life, including the 2019 Hulu series The Act, only furthered public awareness about Gypsy’s case.
In the months leading up to Gypsy’s release, the internet has buzzed with excitement. Many young social media users on TikTok have been counting down the days until Gypsy is free, or making satirical videos about music and movies they want to show Gypsy.
Elsewhere online, a number of social media influencers, including longtime YouTuber Trisha Paytas, have asked how to get in contact with Gypsy for various interviews and podcast appearances.
In a separate video uploaded to TikTok, Paytas said she hopes Gypsy will be “okay adjusting to life outside of prison,” especially given the intense media spotlight.
“There’s so many memes and people that are excited for her, but is she going to adjust? I hope she just is okay and has strong support around her,” Paytas said.
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