Following our revival of the Sinister Saturday true crime series here on Female First last week, we're now taking a look at one of the most infamous criminal cases in modern history.
With a slew of TV shows and films based on this case, it's one you may think you're familiar with, but do you really know all of the details surrounding Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard?
Who were the Blanchards?
Gypsy-Rose Balchard was born in 1991 in Louisiana to Claudine Blanchard, but everyone called her Dee Dee; she was born in 1967.
Dee Dee supposedly moved away from her family as some members got suspicious of her in regard to her daughter Gypsy, and it was also said that Dee Dee tried to kill her mother, potentially by poisoning her food.
Dee Dee always saw herself as a devoted mother and caregiver to her daughter, but many, including Gypsy herself, would disagree.
What did Dee Dee do?
Since Gypsy was a baby, Dee Dee stated that she had a variety of issues and illnesses, including sleep apnoea when Gypsy was just a baby. This was just one of the many medical issues Dee Dee stated her daughter had.
When Gypsy reached about eight years old, Dee Dee claimed that Gypsy had leukaemia and also muscular dystrophy, so Gypsy was confined to a wheelchair.
Dee Dee claimed yet another medical illness for her daughter, including seizures, asthma and visual imparements.
With all these claims of illness for her child, Dee Dee was only telling the truth about one thing: Gypsy’s eyesight.
Why would Dee Dee do this?
It was known that Dee Dee wanted to be a caregiver, so this would potentially explain why she lied about pretty much every single illness Gypsy had.
Gypsy could in fact walk, read, and eat perfectly fine – despite her mother claiming she needed a feeding tube.
Along with all the attention that not just Gypsy would receive, but the attention Dee Dee received too, many people were very charitable towards the Blanchards.
They would receive donations from locals and friends, and not only that but they would go on free trips, including a trip to Disneyland.
Dee Dee may have inflicted these false illnesses on Gypsy because she wanted to be a caregiver, but it also seems the donation and free trips didn’t seem so bad to her either.
Gypsy’s tortured life
Somehow, Doctors believed Dee Dee’s claims of illness regarding her daughter. Any Doctor that asked questions, Dee Dee did not see them again.
Dee Dee portrayed herself as a doting mother, who took good care of her child and this may be why many believed her claims, despite contradictory evidence of many, of not all of Gypsy’s ‘conditions’.
Because of this, Gypsy endured many unnecessary procedures including one on her eyes, and the removal of her salivary glands (that produce saliva). This potentially is what caused Gypsy’s teeth to rot and lead to her having to have them removed.
Gypsy was never allowed outside without her mother by her side, and even then, when Gypsy showed even the slightest sign of not being ill, Dee Dee (already holding her hand) would squeeze her daughter’s hand in order to keep her quiet.
Gypsy would be force ‘fed’ pills she did not need as well as other medication – and even deny Gypsy food some of the time, which she would have to eat through a pointless feeding tube.
Gypsy’s father, Rod Blanchard, was not allowed to see his daughter as Dee Dee wouldn’t allow it, even though he would try to contact Gypsy and it was said that he even sent her birthday cards.
The only outlet Gypsy seemed to have was a next-door neighbour named Aleah. Gypsy told her about how she felt about certain things, and also told her about a boy she had met online…
The death of Dee Dee Blanchard
Gypsy managed to access a laptop, which she used to join a Christian dating site – this is how she met Nicholas Godejohn.
Nicholas, or Nick, would chat online with Gypsy and introduced her to sexual things over the laptop.
Gypsy eventually told Nick that she had no one to talk to and had tried to escape her house and leave her mother. After everything Gypsy endured, and knowing in her heart that she wasn’t as ill as her mother claimed, she asked Nick a very specific favour…
Gypsy asked Nick to kill her mother.
In 2015, in a small house in Missouri, Nick crept into the Blanchard residence and stabbed Dee Dee to death, while Gypsy hid in the bathroom with her ears covered.
The couple then attempted to flee to Nick’s house in Wisconsin where the two of them were arrested.
It was said that Gypsy posted on Facebook that “That bitch is dead!!”, later on she said that this was because she wanted someone to find her mother’s body.
The trial and what came after
Nick was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison, but this only occurred in 2018.
Im 2016, a year after the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, Gypsy pleaded guilty of second-degree murder and faced 10 years in prison and is eligible for parole in 2024.
Gypsy was able to get a deal with her sentence, as evidence was found of her years of torment, abuse (both physical and mental), among other things.
Gypsy stated that she indeed could have simply stood up in public to prove her mother wrong instead of killing her, but Gypsy claimed that she was just too afraid of her mother to do so.
Many people argue about this case, as many state that Gypsy had no other choice, but others say that she simply didn’t try hard enough to run away or contact authorities.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
Tagged in Murder True Crime