Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Entire Case Timeline Explained

On Thursday, December 28, 2023, Gypsy Rose Blanchard walked out of the Chillicothe Correctional Center as a free woman for the first time in more than seven years. Gypsy had been serving time after being convicted of second-degree murder for the 2015 death of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard, but the case went much deeper than that. For decades leading up to her killing, Dee Dee had been dealing with a psychological disorder commonly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy — technically referred to as Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA) – which resulted in her abusing her power as her daughter's guardian and caregiver. 

Dee Dee somehow managed to convince several doctors that Gypsy was suffering from various medical conditions, and convinced them to prescribe Gypsy medications for problems she did not have and perform unnecessary procedures. Gypsy was trapped in her mother's care and felt she had no escape. So in June 2015, at Gypsy's behest, she and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, murdered Dee Dee and went on the run. 

After quickly getting arrested, Godejohn and Gypsy both received lengthy prison terms, with Godejohn getting a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Yet, the case caught the attention of the nation and media, inspired multiple TV series and documentaries, and turned Gypsy into an unlikely social media star leading up to and following her release.

As Gypsy Rose Blanchard grew older, she remained unaware of how her mother Dee Dee Blanchard was taking advantage of her. It was not until Gypsy turned 19 that she became fully cognizant that her mother was not treating her like a normal kid, even one who was supposedly chronically ill. By then, Gypsy was aware that both her feeding tube and wheelchair were unnecessary, but she still largely believed her mom when she told her about her various diseases or sicknesses. 

Despite her apparent handicaps, as Gypsy got older and started to act out more, Dee Dee turned both physically and verbally abusive. In addition to name-calling, she would beat her daughter if she acted out of line. Due to Dee Dee's manipulation, Gypsy was not even aware of her own age, because Dee Dee told her that she was really four years younger than she actually was. 

Another factor keeping Gypsy in her wheelchair and stopping her from speaking out was a deep fear that no one would believe her. After Gypsy ran away one time in 2011, her mother had her declared legally incompetent, so Gypsy assumed even if she did contact authorities, nobody would take her word over her mother's. As an adult, Gypsy developed a dependence on painkillers, which she used as a coping method to deal with her mother's constant abuse.

In 2011, Gypsy Rose Blanchard tried to escape the clutches of her overbearing mother Dee Dee Blanchard for the very first time, but things did not go well. Gypsy fled and attempted to go live in Arkansas with a man she had met at a pop culture convention. When Dee Dee found out that Gypsy was gone, she immediately tracked her down and dragged her back to the prison that had become their home.

Gypsy's would-be rescuer was 35 years old and Gypsy was only 19, but Dee Dee had Gypsy convinced she was only 15, and had presumably fake papers to prove it. Had Gypsy or the man realized that she was actually 19, she could have refused to go with Dee Dee, but when Dee Dee threatened to call the police, with the documents showing Gypsy was a minor in hand, they caved.

Once they got home, Dee Dee turned violent. She broke both Gypsy's computer and cell phone, and she also threatened to break Gypsy's fingers with a hammer. For two weeks after the incident, Gypsy was locked to her bed in chains and a dog leash. Dee Dee practically controlled her every movement and would withhold food from her daughter, while tauntingly eating in front of her. The rest of the year went very poorly for Gypsy, as Dee Dee continued to make her life miserable in retaliation for running away.

In March 2015, after years of exchanging messages with each other online, Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Nicholas Godejohn finally met each other in person for the first time. Godejohn, who was from Wisconsin, traveled all the way to Missouri to meet both Gypsy and her mother Dee Dee Blanchard. They all saw the Disney movie "Cinderella," and Gypsy even lost her virginity to Godejohn that night at the theater. Yet, Dee Dee balked at the idea of Gypsy and Godejohn continuing to see each other in person.

Gypsy had already confided in him about the reality of her mother forcing her to pretend that she was sick, and soon their relationship started to take a very dark turn. Feeling completely trapped by her mother, Gypsy started to broach the idea with Godejohn about killing Dee Dee. At one point, the couple had considered getting Gypsy pregnant in order to ensure that Godejohn would have a permanent place in her life, but they scrapped that idea in favor of killing Dee Dee instead.

Gypsy and Godejohn plotted Dee Dee's murder for several weeks, and in early June 2015, Godejohn returned to Missouri from Wisconsin to carry out the final act.

As soon as Nicholas Godejohn and Gypsy Rose Blanchard carried out the gruesome murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, they started to plan their exit. They wiped down the crime scene, gathered up their belongings, and then made their way to a hotel. Once there, the couple took multiple videos of themselves laughing and joking around, and showed very little remorse for the brutal killing that had occurred mere hours before.

Immediately after killing her mother, Gypsy managed to get ahold of Dee Dee's Facebook account. Under Dee Dee's name, Gypsy made several postings alluding to her death, and Godejohn also appeared to make a post describing the murder in graphic detail. These posts alerted Dee Dee's friends that something was amiss, but it was not until June 14, 2015, several days after she had died, that police entered the Blanchard house with a warrant. They found Dee Dee's dead body, but Gypsy's whereabouts were unknown, and at first, they assumed that Gypsy was a victim, too.

However, police quickly realized that Gypsy was involved, and they were able to track the couple back to Godejohn's residence in Wisconsin through the Facebook posts. The police arrested the couple on June 15, 2015, and charged them with Dee Dee's murder.

When the police interrogated Nicholas Godejohn about the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, he admitted the role he played by stabbing her to death. He claimed that he did so because of his deep love for Gypsy Rose Blanchard, even going as far as to say that he would not have carried out the murder without her prompting (via "Mommy Dead and Dearest").

At his trial in November 2018, a jury found Godejohn guilty of first-degree murder. While prosecutors had lessened Gypsy's charge to second-degree murder and offered her a plea deal, they kept Godejohn's charges as first-degree murder because he was the one who actually carried out the killing. Three months later, in February 2019, a judge gave him life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder charge, and he also gave Godejohn 25 years for armed criminal action, though the latter was largely symbolic.

During the trial, Gypsy testified that she had orchestrated the murder of her mother, and that Godejohn was doing so at her behest. Godejohn's attorneys tried to base their defense on a claim that he was not mentally competent at the time of the killing. Since his conviction, Godejohn has filed numerous appeals, including in December 2023, in which he argued for a new trial based on ineffective counsel. However, none have so far been successful.

In September 2023, authorities announced that Gypsy Rose Blanchard was going to be leaving prison on parole before the end of the year. Blanchard had been incarcerated since her initial arrest in June 2015, and authorities released her on December 28, 2023, putting her total time behind bars at just over eight years.

In the years that Blanchard was away, her story became greatly sensationalized in the media, making her into somewhat of a celebrity and social media star. Major networks, including HBO, Hulu, and Lifetime, made documentaries or series dramatizing her life, and she gave several interviews to media outlets.

When Blanchard left prison, she began a career as a social media influencer. Her very first Instagram post, which she captioned "First selfie of freedom!," received more than 6.5 million likes within a month of her posting it, and her profile has more than 8 million followers. She also released a book about her experiences that quickly became a No. 1 new release on Amazon. Rose is still on parole following her release, but she hopes to use her newfound social media following to help inspire change in the world, as she adjusts to life on the outside.

If you or anyone you know may be the victim of child abuse, is dealing with domestic abuse, needs help with mental health, or is a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

• The Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

• The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).