Gypsy Rose Blanchard was arrested in the early hours of June 15, 2015, in Big Bend, Wisconsin, together with her boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn, after her mother Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard was found stabbed to death in Springfield, Missouri. The Gypsy Rose Blanchard arrest closed a case that had run in plain sight for years: Dee Dee had subjected her daughter to fabricated illnesses and unnecessary medical treatment consistent with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and Gypsy Rose eventually asked Godejohn to kill her. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, served roughly eight years, and was released on parole in December 2023.
How Police Found Her
On the night of June 14, 2015, Godejohn traveled to the Blanchard home in Springfield and stabbed Dee Dee to death while Gypsy Rose waited in the bathroom with her ears covered.1Biography. Gypsy Rose Blanchard The pair took several thousand dollars from a safe in Dee Dee’s bedroom and left Missouri by cab and bus, heading to Godejohn’s family home in Wisconsin. Before leaving, Godejohn mailed the knife to his Wisconsin address so he would not be caught carrying it.2Springfield News-Leader. Daughter, Boyfriend Charged With Murder of Dee Dee Blancharde
That same day, two posts appeared on the Facebook account Gypsy Rose shared with her mother. One read, “That b—- is dead!” Friends who saw the posts alerted authorities, and the Greene County Sheriff’s Office conducted a welfare check at the Springfield home, where they found Dee Dee dead of multiple stab wounds.3FOX 6 Milwaukee. Couple Arrested in Big Bend Accused of Murdering Woman’s Mother in Missouri Gypsy Rose later told investigators she had asked Godejohn to write the posts because she wanted her mother’s body to be found quickly and given a proper burial.4FOX 2 St. Louis. Secret Boyfriend: A Missouri Family’s Outrageous Con That Ended With a Murder
Investigators traced the posts to an IP address registered to Godejohn in Big Bend. A friend of Gypsy Rose’s, Aleah Woodmansee, also tipped police to Gypsy’s secret online relationship with him.4FOX 2 St. Louis. Secret Boyfriend: A Missouri Family’s Outrageous Con That Ended With a Murder Greene County contacted Waukesha County deputies in Wisconsin, who arrived at the Godejohn home around 2:45 a.m. on June 15, 2015, and detained the couple after a brief standoff. Deputies seized wigs, roughly $4,400 in cash, and a large sealed envelope containing a knife.5WMTV Madison. Mother’s Death Is Violent Homicide; Daughter Found in Wisconsin With Person of Interest
Both gave statements. Godejohn admitted stabbing Dee Dee multiple times in the back and said “he knew what he had done was wrong, but he did it for Gypsy because she asked him to.” He said he had confirmed with her beforehand that she was sure. Gypsy Rose admitted being in the house during the killing, cleaning up blood with baby wipes afterward, and orchestrating the Facebook posts.2Springfield News-Leader. Daughter, Boyfriend Charged With Murder of Dee Dee Blancharde
On June 16, 2015, both were charged jointly with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Bond was set at $1 million each, and they were held in the Waukesha County Jail awaiting extradition to Missouri.3FOX 6 Milwaukee. Couple Arrested in Big Bend Accused of Murdering Woman’s Mother in Missouri
The Abuse That Preceded the Killing
The arrest quickly turned into a case about years of medical child abuse. Dee Dee had told doctors, beginning in Gypsy Rose’s infancy, that her daughter had sleep apnea, and by age eight the list had grown to leukemia, muscular dystrophy, seizures, asthma, and hearing and visual impairments. Gypsy Rose was confined to a wheelchair and fitted with a feeding tube she did not need. She was given unnecessary medications, put on a breathing machine, and put through surgeries on her eyes and the removal of her salivary glands. When her teeth rotted from the medications, they were pulled. Dee Dee shaved her daughter’s head to mimic chemotherapy.1Biography. Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Dee Dee, who had nursing training, restrained her daughter frequently and would squeeze her hand as a warning if she tried to speak up at appointments. She altered birth certificates to make Gypsy Rose appear younger and moved the family from Louisiana to Missouri in 2005 when medical professionals began asking too many questions, using Hurricane Katrina as a cover story. The false diagnoses also brought the family free trips to Disney World and a Habitat for Humanity house.6Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard Case Analysis Forensic psychologist Dr. Marc Feldman later described Dee Dee’s control as “total” and called Gypsy Rose a “hostage” trying to escape.1Biography. Gypsy Rose Blanchard
The Plea Deal and Sentence
The cases were separated after Gypsy Rose’s first court appearance, at the request of defense attorney Mike Stanfield.7Springfield News-Leader. Local Attorney Predicts Gypsy’s Defense Will Be Expert Driven In 2016, Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty in Greene County to second-degree murder under an agreement that called for a ten-year prison sentence, with a requirement that she serve at least 85 percent before becoming eligible for parole.8Ozarks First. Gypsy Blanchard Pleads Guilty to Murder of Mother
Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson said he believed he could have won a first-degree conviction carrying life in prison but did not think that outcome was fair given the abuse. “When you look at this case, it’s a murder. And it’s a first-degree murder,” Patterson said. “But it’s also one of the most extraordinary and unusual cases we have seen.”9Springfield News-Leader. Gypsy Blanchard Pleads Guilty to Murder Stanfield later said that “one of the hardest things for me was the fact that the best deal for her was something that landed her in prison for almost a decade,” adding that after so much of her life as a captive of her mother, prison “was not really where I wanted her to be.”10Ozarks First. Gypsy’s Attorney Speaks After Her Release From Prison
What Happened to Nicholas Godejohn
Godejohn went to trial. In 2018, a Greene County jury convicted him of first-degree murder, and on February 22, 2019, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 25 years for armed criminal action.11KY3 Springfield. Public Defenders File an Appeal for New Trial for Nicholas Godejohn A 2022 motion for a new trial was denied, as was a subsequent appeal filed in 2024. He remains incarcerated at the Potosi Correctional Center in Mineral Point, Missouri.12A&E. Nicholas Godejohn Today
Release and End of Parole
Gypsy Rose was released from the Chillicothe Correctional Center around 3:30 a.m. on December 28, 2023, after serving roughly eight years and meeting the 85 percent threshold in her plea agreement.13People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Released From Prison On parole, she was required to live with her parents in Louisiana and report to a parole officer,14Yahoo Entertainment. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Celebrates Freedom and she was barred from any contact with Godejohn.15People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Breaks Silence After Completing Parole
Her parole ended on June 24, 2025. “The case is closed,” she said.15People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Breaks Silence After Completing Parole She has not faced any new arrests, criminal charges, or parole violations since her release.