(NewsNation) — After serving more than seven years in prison, Gypsy Rose Blanchard will be released three days after Christmas.
Gypsy, now 32, pleaded guilty in 2016 to the second-degree murder of her mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard. Gypsy’s then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, is serving life in prison for stabbing Dee Dee to death in 2015.
Some experts think Gypsy, who attorneys say was isolated and abused by Dee Dee for years, may have been a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Gypsy was forced to use a wheelchair and undergo unnecessary medical procedures, her attorneys said. After Dee Dee’s murder, Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is being released early.
Gypsy’s case made national headlines, sparked documentaries and was the center of a limited series drama on Hulu.
Here’s a timeline retracing key moments of the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case.
Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose move
October 2005 – After Hurricane Katrina devastated areas of New Orleans, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard and her daughter Gypsy Rose Blanchard move to a home in Aurora, Missouri.
At this time, Dee Dee claims Gypsy’s medical records were destroyed in flooding and that her daughter was diagnosed with multiple conditions, including leukemia and muscular dystrophy.
Dee Dee reportedly used different variations and spellings of her name over the years and seemed convinced Gypsy suffered several health issues.
A pink house for Gypsy
March 2008 – Habitat for Humanity built a pink house for the Blanchards in Springfield, Missouri, including accessibility features like a wheelchair ramp. Gypsy used a wheelchair, had an oxygen tank and used a feeding tube at the time.
Gypsy and Dee Dee received an outpouring of support from community members, organizations like the Make-a-Wish Foundation and even celebrities like Miranda Lambert. They accepted free charity trips and large sums of money to help with Gypsy.
Gypsy’s doctors have doubts
2007 and 2009 – Gypsy’s former neurologist, Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein, reportedly found no evidence of her conditions in 2007.
In a letter obtained by ABC News from Flasterstein to Gypsy’s primary care doctor, Flasterstein wrote, “I believe that the mother suffers from Munchausen by proxy.”
The outlet found that another doctor called authorities in 2009 when he “could not find any symptoms that support what Dee Dee alleges to be wrong with her daughter.”
Medical records show Gypsy and her mother visited more than 150 medical professionals over the years, ABC News reports.
Runaway attempt
2011 – Gypsy said she tried to run away to be with a man she met at a convention, but Dee Dee caught her. According to Gypsy, Dee Dee destroyed her phone and computer, then chained her to a bed and placed bells on all the doors.
Godejohn, Gypsy start chatting
October 2012 – Godejohn and Gypsy begin talking with each other via a Christian dating app. According to reports, their chats ranged from “PG-rated fairy tale declarations of love to X-rated messages.”
Gypsy Rose says she’s in love
October 2014 – Through a secret Facebook account, Gypsy reportedly tells one of her friends she was in love with Nicholas Godejohn, a man she met on a Christian singles site. Their online relationship lasted about three years, according to The Springfield News-Leader.
Cinderella and Prince Charming?
March 2015 – Gypsy and Godejohn meet for the first time in person at a Springfield movie theater. She wore a Cinderella costume, and he dressed as Prince Charming.
The murder of Dee Dee Blanchard
June 9, 2015 – Gypsy told 20/20 that Godejohn traveled to Missouri and checked into a motel as Dee Dee took her to a hospital appointment. Gypsy said Godejohn later went to Dee Dee’s house, where Gypsy gave him gloves, a knife and duct tape.
While Gypsy hid in the bathroom, Godejohn went into Dee Dee’s bedroom and stabbed her 17 times. According to Gypsy, the couple then had sex at the house before taking a cab to Godejohn’s motel.
They enjoyed each other’s company for a few days and took a bus to Wisconsin, where Godejohn lived. Before making the trip, they mailed the knife used to kill Dee Dee from Springfield to Wisconsin.
Dee Dee Blanchard found dead
June 14, 2015 – A post on the “Dee Gyp Blancharde” Facebook page reads: “That B—- is dead!” Some Facebook friends alerted authorities after seeing the post.
Dee Dee, 48, is found in her home later that evening with fatal stab wounds. Investigators say it appeared she died days earlier.
Gypsy is nowhere to be found, with her wheelchair left in the house.
Godejohn surrenders to police
June 15, 2015 – A vigil is held for Dee Dee and Gypsy. Investigators trace the Facebook post on Dee Dee’s account to Godejohn’s home in Wisconsin. Godejohn, 26 at the time, surrenders to authorities.
Police find Gypsy, who was unharmed and could walk. She was later arrested.
Murder confession
Godejohn, who had a lewd conduct arrest in 2013, told investigators he stabbed Dee Dee in a plan between himself and Gypsy, who hid in a bathroom during the murder. Gypsy initially denied involvement in the killing. They both were later charged.
No insanity plea
April 2016 – Gypsy’s attorneys elect not to use an insanity defense in the case against their client.
Gypsy pleads guilty
July 2016 – Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson makes a deal with Gypsy. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. By doing so, she avoided trial.
A 10-year sentence is the minimum for second-degree murder in the state of Missouri. Gypsy’s defense team told reporters the agreement was indicative of the way both prosecutors and the defense feel about how Gypsy suffered for years.
Gypsy: ‘My mother would never have let me have a boyfriend’
November 2018 – Gypsy takes the stand in Godejohn’s murder trial. She said her relationship with Godejohn was kept a secret from her mom “because she controlled every aspect” of her life.
She said she found out when she was 19 that she wasn’t sick but learned the full extent of her health after she was arrested, NewsNation affiliate Ozarks First reported.
Gypsy claimed it was her idea to kill her mother and that she had three plans: Meet at the movies and start their relationship with her mom’s permission, get pregnant or murder Dee Dee.
Gypsy reportedly wanted murder to be the last resort and testified that her mother screamed her name as Godejohn stabbed her.
Godejohn found guilty
November 2018 – A Missouri jury finds Godejohn, 29 at the time, guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action linked to Dee Dee’s death. He was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
At trial, Godejohn’s defense argued he was motivated to kill Dee Dee in order to save Gypsy from abuse. He also added he was “blindly in love” with Gypsy.
Gypsy: ‘I’m freer in prison’
Gypsy Rose continues serving her sentence at the Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri. A family friend told Intouchweekly.com, Gypsy was dating multiple men while in prison.
“The prison that I was living in before, with my mom, it’s, like, I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t have friends. I couldn’t go outside, you know, and play with friends or anything,” Gypsy told 20/20. “Over here, I feel like I’m freer in prison, than with living with my mom. Because now, I’m allowed to … just live like a normal woman.”
Gypsy gets married
July 2022 – Despite still being in prison, Gypsy tied the knot with Ryan Scott Anderson. Before her marriage, she was previously engaged to someone else but reportedly called off the engagement in August 2019.
Gypsy Rose granted parole
September 2023 – The Missouri Department of Corrections confirms Gypsy will be released early on Dec. 28 after serving 85% of her 10-year prison sentence and credit received for time in jail before she entered a plea.
What’s next?
According to reports, Gypsy plans to go with her husband to a Kansas City Chiefs game on Dec. 31, where she hopes to meet Taylor Swift.
Blanchard is also set to release an ebook titled “Released: Conversations on the Eve of Freedom” on Jan. 9, 2024.
