Nick Godejohn is the Wisconsin man convicted of first-degree murder for the June 2015 stabbing death of Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard in Springfield, Missouri, a killing carried out at the direction of Dee Dee’s daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus a concurrent 25 years for armed criminal action, and his federal habeas corpus petition remains pending as of mid-2025.
Who He Is
Godejohn grew up in Big Bend, Wisconsin, socially isolated and reliant on the internet for connection. He was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (specifically Asperger syndrome) in grade school, and later clinical testing placed his IQ at 82.1Oxygen. Gypsy Rose’s Former Boyfriend Nick Godejohn Childhood His father said he had struggled to make friends throughout his life.
He met Gypsy Rose Blanchard in 2012 on a Christian dating website. Their relationship ran in secret through the site and Facebook because Dee Dee did not allow her daughter to date. As the relationship deepened, Gypsy Rose disclosed the abuse she was enduring at home, where Dee Dee had fabricated a lifetime of medical conditions and treatments. By Godejohn’s account, Gypsy Rose eventually asked him whether he was “willing to risk everything to have everything” and proposed killing her mother as the only way they could be together. He later alleged she was the “mastermind” of the plan.2ABC News. Wisconsin Man Feels Girlfriend Kill Mother
The 2015 Murder
On June 9, 2015, Godejohn traveled from Wisconsin to Springfield, Missouri. Gypsy Rose provided a knife, gloves, and duct tape. That night he stabbed Dee Dee Blanchard 17 times while she slept; Gypsy Rose hid in the bathroom during the attack.3Deseret News. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Timeline Murder Godejohn later testified that after the killing, he and Gypsy Rose engaged in sexual activity in her bedroom before fleeing to Wisconsin.4Today. Nicholas Godejohn Now The couple mailed the murder weapon to Godejohn’s home.2ABC News. Wisconsin Man Feels Girlfriend Kill Mother
Five days later, concerned friends alerted authorities after a post on the shared “Dee Gyp Blancharde” Facebook account read “That Bitch is dead!” Police found Dee Dee’s body in the Springfield home and traced the posts to Godejohn’s address. On June 15, 2015, both were arrested at his home. Godejohn confessed to the stabbing and told investigators he did it because Gypsy Rose asked him to.5People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Murder Case Timeline6NewsNation. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Timeline Prison Release
The Trial and Diminished Capacity Defense
Godejohn was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. The state offered two plea deals before trial; the lowest was life with the possibility of parole on a second-degree murder charge. Godejohn rejected both. His trial attorney, Dewayne Perry, said the defense felt he “deserved a lot closer to what she got,” referring to Gypsy Rose’s 10-year plea.7Springfield News-Leader. Nicholas Godejohn Asks Judge Set Aside Conviction Order New Trial
Trial began on November 13, 2018, in Greene County, Missouri. Assistant Prosecutor Nathan Chapman argued the killing was premeditated, pointing to evidence that Godejohn and Gypsy Rose had discussed it more than a year before carrying it out, that Godejohn wore a “scary” T-shirt to the scene, that he told a journalist he “waited outside the bedroom door for a minute thinking about his decision,” and that his computer showed interest in violent content.8KMBC. Jury Man Guilty in Killing of Abusive Missouri Mother9KY3. Greene County Judge Deciding Nicholas Godejohn Murder Conviction Appeal
Public defender Andrew Mead did not dispute that Godejohn stabbed Dee Dee. The defense argued he lacked the mental capacity for the “cool reflection” and deliberation Missouri law requires for first-degree murder, and that Gypsy Rose had manipulated him into carrying out her plan.10Springfield News-Leader. Gypsy Blanchard Nicholas Godejohn Murder Trial Claudine
Psychologist Kent Franks testified that Godejohn was on the autism spectrum, had an IQ of 82, and functioned at the mental level of a 10- or 11-year-old. Franks said Godejohn believed he was “doing the right thing” by killing Dee Dee to “rescue” Gypsy Rose.11KY3. Psychologist Godejohn Trial12Springfield News-Leader. He Wanted Rescue Her Psychologist Says Gypsy Blanchard’s Boyfriend13Missourinet. Gypsy Blanchard Testifies Both Sides Try to Establish Killer’s Mental Capacity in Godejohn Murder Trial14KY3. Sentencing
On November 15, 2018, Gypsy Rose Blanchard took the stand at Godejohn’s trial. She admitted she was “the one who planned the murder” and told the court, “I talked him into it.”3Deseret News. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Timeline Murder
The jury had the option of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, or acquittal. After roughly two hours of deliberation on November 16, 2018, it returned a guilty verdict on first-degree murder and armed criminal action.15Springfield News-Leader. Nicholas Godejohn Found Guilty Blanchard Murder Under Missouri law, first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Life Without Parole
On February 22, 2019, Judge David Jones imposed the mandatory life sentence without parole on the murder count and a concurrent 25-year term for armed criminal action.16Springfield News-Leader. Nicholas Godejohn Sentenced Life Prison Blanchard Murder Judge Jones denied a defense motion for a new trial that had challenged evidentiary rulings and the handling of the diminished capacity expert testimony, noting the issue “could be of interest to a higher court as the case moves through the appeals process.”17Springfield News-Leader. Nicolas Godejohn Sentenced Life Prison Blanchard Murder
Addressing the court, Godejohn said he killed Dee Dee because he was “blindly in love” with Gypsy Rose and had never known “motherly love,” calling it “a missing link.” “That’s the reason why, I guess, when I got so deep into this situation where I fell in love so deeply,” he said.14KY3. Sentencing
Why His Sentence Dwarfs Gypsy Rose’s
Gypsy Rose Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on July 5, 2016, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prosecutors offered the plea deal because of what they called the “extraordinary and unusual” abuse she had suffered under her mother’s fabricated medical regime.5People. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Murder Case Timeline18A&E. Nicholas Godejohn Gypsy Rose Blanchard Accomplice Today She was released on parole from the Chillicothe Correctional Center on December 28, 2023, after serving roughly 85 percent of her sentence.19CBS News. Gypsy Rose Blanchard Parole Dee Dee Blanchard
Prosecutors pointed to that documented history of Munchausen-by-proxy abuse to explain the disparity. Godejohn had no comparable claim to victimhood. His defense attorney framed him as someone “so in love with her and so obsessed with her that he would do anything.”4Today. Nicholas Godejohn Now The structure of Missouri law also matters: by rejecting the state’s second-degree plea and losing at trial on first-degree, Godejohn triggered a mandatory life-without-parole term that the judge had no discretion to reduce.
Appeals and the Pending Federal Petition
Godejohn has pursued several rounds of post-conviction challenges.
A Missouri appeals court affirmed his conviction and sentence on direct appeal on October 1, 2020.20Springfield News-Leader. Dee Dee Gypsy Blanchard Murder Nick Godejohn Update Latest Appeal21KY3. Greene County Judge Denies Nicholas Godejohn’s Motion New Trial9KY3. Greene County Judge Deciding Nicholas Godejohn Murder Conviction Appeal
In December 2023, public defender Tyler Coyle filed a state appeal of the PCR denial, arguing that trial counsel failed to investigate and present evidence from a qualified neuropsychologist specializing in autism spectrum disorder, and that Godejohn’s mental state did not meet the legal requirements for first-degree murder.22KY3. Public Defenders File an Appeal New Trial Nicholas Godejohn23Court TV. Nick Godejohn Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Ex Files New Appeal
On March 10, 2025, Godejohn filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri (Case No. 6:2025cv03068). Chief District Judge Beth Phillips granted him provisional leave to proceed without paying filing costs and ordered the state to respond. The state filed a response with 18 exhibits covering the full record of his trial, sentencing, and post-conviction proceedings. Judge Phillips denied Godejohn’s motion for appointment of counsel, finding it was not required for fair presentation of his claims. As of July 31, 2025, the case remains pending with no ruling on the merits.24Justia Dockets. Godejohn v. Vandergriff
Where He Is Now
Godejohn is incarcerated at the Potosi Correctional Center in Missouri, serving life without the possibility of parole.18A&E. Nicholas Godejohn Gypsy Rose Blanchard Accomplice Today The federal habeas petition is his last known active legal challenge.