All The Details We Know Surrounding Dee Dee Blanchard's Death
With so much fanfare surrounding Gypsy Rose Blanchard's early release from prison, many tend to overlook the grim reason why she ended up behind bars in the first place. In 2016, Gypsy Rose received a ten-year sentence for plotting the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, who, for years, fooled her daughter and everyone else into believing that she suffered from various illnesses, including leukemia.
Despite the dark nature of her past, Gypsy Rose appears to be enjoying her post-prison life, which notably included reuniting with her spouse, Ryan Anderson, and garnering widespread support from the public. Since making a comeback on social media, she has accumulated over 13,000 followers on X, formerly Twitter, 6.5 million followers on Instagram, and over 17 million likes on TikTok. Capitalizing on her renewed fame, Gypsy Rose has also announced pre-orders for an upcoming e-book. Still, Gypsy Rose maintains that she's not taking her popularity for granted, expressing that she hopes to use her influence to make a positive impact to People. "I feel like I have been blessed with that ability to possibly create change," she explained. "And that is what I'm trying to do."
With Gypsy Rose becoming a celebrity in her own right, fans seem to overlook her role in the gruesome murder of her own mother. While she wasn't the direct perpetrator of the crime, she was indeed the mastermind behind Dee Dee's demise.
Gypsy Rose's ex-boyfriend executed the murder
Apart from being under the close watch of Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was also mostly prohibited from interacting with others, which led her to connect with people on the internet behind her mom's back. On a Christian dating site, she met Nick Godejohn, who would eventually be her boyfriend and, ultimately, Dee Dee's killer.
Their relationship developed quickly, and soon enough, Gypsy Rose opened up to Godejohn about her situation. Together, they planned Dee Dee's murder, which involved Godejohn traveling from Wisconsin to Gypsy Rose's home in Missouri. She shared in the documentary "Mommy Dead and Dearest" that on the night of the murder, she "acted like everything was fine" and even assisted in putting Dee Dee to sleep. But she intentionally left the door unlocked for Godejohn's unnoticed entry and provided him with the necessary tools for the crime. "I honestly thought he would end up not doing it," she told ABC News. Godejohn followed through anyway and stabbed Dee Dee a total of 17 times, all while Gypsy Rose was waiting in the bathroom, as reported by USA Today.
The pair then escaped to Godejohn's home in Wisconsin, and days after the murder, Gypsy Rose posted a cryptic post on the account she shared with Dee Dee that read, "That b***h is dead!" She later admitted she did that so people would find her mother. "I couldn't stand the thought of her just there because what happens if it would have taken months to find her, so I wanted her found so she could have a proper burial," she said. Not long after, authorities found her and Godejohn through the IP address of the post.
Gypsy Rose feels regret over the death of her mother
Both Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Nick Godejohn were found guilty in the murder case involving Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy Rose was convicted of second-degree murder and received a ten-year prison sentence. She served eight years before being released on parole. Meanwhile, Godejohn faced a harsher fate, having been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He is, however, trying to file for an appeal. "In his last trial, he argued that his mental state did not meet the requirements for first-degree murder. The jury should have only found him guilty of second-degree murder," public defender Tyler Coyle told KY3.
Since her release from prison, Gypsy Rose has been vocal about her feelings regarding the murder of her mother, expressing deep regret. "I don't believe my mother was a monster. She had a lot of demons herself that she was struggling with," she shared in a "Good Morning America" interview. "I didn't want her dead. I just wanted out of my situation, and I thought that was the only way out."
Gypsy Rose also expressed remorse to People, wishing she had sought help from authorities rather than resorting to murder. "I regret it every single day," she said. And now that she's free, she continues to come to terms with the tragedies that occurred. "I still love my mom," she added. "And I'm starting to understand that it was something that was maybe out of her control, like an addict with an impulse. That helps me with coping and accepting what happened."