What Gypsy Rose Blanchard's Life In Prison Is Like
In June 2015, Dee Dee Blanchard was found stabbed to death in her home (via Buzzfeed). Authorities quickly turned their attention to finding her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was nowhere to be found. According to All That's Interesting, this was not an ordinary missing person case. Gypsy Rose was wheelchair-bound, had cancer, and a variety of other life-threatening illnesses that rendered her defenseless. Dee Dee had dedicated her life to being Gypsy Rose's sole caretaker and provider. Who could have possibly done this to a disabled person and their mother? To everyone's relief, Gypsy Rose was found shortly after. She was fine. In fact, she was more than ok.
Gypsy Rose was walking — and shockingly — appeared to be healthy. It's then that she made a disturbing confession; her mother had feigned everything and she wasn't ill, not even a little bit. Even more distressing? Biography reports that Gypsy Rose had joined a dating site and met Nicholas Godejohn. She told him the truth about her mother's deception and they soon devised a sinister plan — she asked Godejohn to kill her mother for her so that the pair could be together. He agreed, and Godejohn traveled from Wisconsin to the Blanchards' home in Springfield, Missouri to commit the act. For her role in her mother's murder, the then 24-year-old received a 10-year sentence in 2016. Godejohn was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder.
She gained freedom
According to Buzzfeed, it became clear to investigators that Dee Dee Blanchard was suffering from Munchausen by proxy. In other words, she had falsified her daughter's illnesses and disabilities for "attention and sympathy." Gypsy Rose was a victim of abuse.
Per, All That's Interesting, she and everyone else, including her father, were led to believe that Gypsy Rose had a chromosomal disorder, muscular dystrophy, and was mentally challenged. Biography states that it was also believed she had seizures, needed a feeding tube, and much more. Gypsy Rose's mother had essentially held her hostage for her entire life.
Now in prison at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri, Distractify reports that Gypsy Rose Blanchard is living her best life. She has been making friends and working towards her GED. She famously said that 10 years in prison was better than 10 more years with her mother (via E! Online). Ironically, Gypsy Rose feels that prison has given her the freedom she has always wanted and she can live what she calls as a "normal woman."
In addition, she has formed a stable relationship with her father and stepmother (per A&E). In 2019, People announced that she was engaged to a pen pal she had communicated with for over a year. They plan to get married when Gypsy Rose is released from prison. She will be eligible for parole in 2024 when she is 33 years old.
She is thriving in prison
In a 2019 interview with A&E, Gypsy Rose Blanchard's father, Rod Blanchard, stated that his daughter was "happy" and "optimistic" in prison. He also added that she preferred not to discuss Dee Dee or her murder with him. Gypsy Rose's stepmother, Kristy, agreed with this sentiment. That same year, she told the Springfield News-Letter that Gypsy Rose was "doing really well" and that "she's just looking forward." Although E! Online reports that her life in prison is less than perfect, it has nevertheless allowed her to flourish.
A family friend, Fancy Marcelli, revealed that Gypsy Rose had recently picked up two new hobbies — photography and cosmetology. Marcelli explained that Gypsy Rose takes photos of fellow inmates. Furthermore, she also has a job in prison and attends school (via the Springfield News-Leader). Another bonus? Gypsy Rose has been able to make friends for the first time in her life. Per E! Online, Marcelli noted that "there definitely is a social life for her ... which she was never afforded before."
In Touch Weekly writes that Gypsy Rose broke off her engagement in August 2019 and has been casually dating other men ever since. Marcelli expressed her apprehension regarding Gypsy Rose's love life and disclosed, "We have a lot of concern for her because she doesn't know the real world." In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was reported that Gypsy Rose was no longer receiving visitors or group therapy due to the virus.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard believes her sentence should have been less severe
People writes that in 2017, an incarcerated Gypsy Rose Blanchard was interviewed by Dr. Phil. She revealed that she does "deserve to spend some time in prison" and that she's "not happy" that Dee Dee is dead. Despite this, she added that "at the same time, I don't believe I deserve as many years as I got." Per A&E, her father, Rod, agrees that his daughter's 10-year sentence was too harsh of a punishment. In an attempt to secure an early prison release for Gypsy Rose, he launched an online petition. Rod explained that ultimately, he believed that everyone, including himself and society, had "failed Gypsy."
Fox 4 reported that Gypsy Rose is hoping she will be paroled in December 2023. However, those who are close to her, including Fancy Marcelli, have noted that she has recently displayed troubling behavior and has refused any psychological support (via In Touch Weekly). They worry that Gypsy Rose will eventually return to prison after her release. Marcelli stated that "I want her to come out and live a good life, but she needs intense help."
In 2021, Gypsy Rose revealed that she was writing a book about her life in order to tell her own story on her own terms (per the Springfield News-Leader). Moreover, she disclosed that she was working on rehabilitating herself to make her transition into society as smooth as possible for when she is released. Gypsy Rose said that she hopes that she can one day help fellow victims of abuse.