Why was Gypsy Rose Blanchard found guilty? Prison sentence timeline saga explored amid release from prison 

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the notorious child abuse victim who was convicted of plotting and killing her mother, was released from prison on December 28. She was sentenced to 10 years in 2016 for conspiring against Claudine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, her abusive mother.

Now-32-year-old Gypsy was granted parole in September of this year after serving 85% of her sentence. On Thursday, she was released from Missouri’s Chillicothe Correctional Center, three years ahead of her original release date.

She was arrested along with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn in 2015 in connection with Dee Dee’s mother, who was found dead in her home in Missouri’s Springfield. Dee Dee was stabbed to death.

During the case trial, Gypsy admitted to planning with Nicholas to travel to her family home to execute the murder. After Dee Dee’s killing, the two traveled to Nicholas’s home in Wisconsin and were arrested days later.

Nicholas was convicted on first-degree murder charges and received life in prison after pleading not guilty at first. Gypsy made a plea deal with Dan Patterson, a Greene County prosecutor who took into account the fact that she was abused by her mother. She was charged with second-degree murder and received 10 years in prison after pleading guilty.

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard's abuse, prison sentence, and subsequent release explored

Gypsy Rose Blanchard was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. It is a psychological disorder where a caretaker deliberately creates the illusion of the person being ill. Gypsy described in her trial how her mother made her and everyone else believe she was sick.

Dee Dee took her to doctors to treat her for multiple health conditions, including muscular dystrophy, and leukemia. However, Gypsy never actually had any of these illnesses. She claimed Dee Dee also forced her to use a wheelchair along with an oxygen tank even though she required neither.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard's mother also shaved her head and forced her to consume food through a feeding tube. After Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. in 2005, Dee moved them both to Aurora, Missouri where she told doctors her daughter’s medical records got destroyed in the natural disaster.

In 2008, a wheelchair-accessible house was built for the Blanchards in Springfield by a Humanity group. Dee Dee and her daughter also received several gifts, and donations, from various charitable groups, including a free trip to Disney World.

Some of the doctors Dee Dee consulted pushed back on her claim of Gypsy’s manifold ailments. In 2011, Gypsy attempted to run away from her home upon the influence of a man she claimed to have met at a convention. However, Dee Dee caught her and destroyed her computer and phone. Gypsy was then chained to her bed and bells were placed on all the doors.

Gypsy and Nicholas met on a Christian dating app in 2012 where their chats contained adult topics and X-rated messages. They met in person for the first time in 2015 at a Springfield movie theatre. Gypsy reportedly wore a Cinderella costume while Nicholas dressed up as Prince Charming.

In June of that year, she told Nicholas to travel to Missouri and check into a motel while Dee Dee Blanchard took her to another hospital appointment. After the doctor’s visit, Nicholas went to Dee Dee’s house where Gypsy handed him duct tape, gloves, and a knife. She hid in the bathroom while Nicholas stabbed Dee Dee 17 times in her bedroom. Later, they went to the motel Nicholas was staying at.

During the investigation, Gypsy initially denied any involvement in her mother’s murder, but later was charged. In April 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s attorneys decided not to make an insanity plea deal in the case.

Gypsy said she found out about all her ailments being non-existent when she was 19. She admitted it was her idea to end her mother. She reportedly wanted murdering Dee Dee to be her last resort.

In July 2022, Gypsy Rose Blanchard married Ryan Scoot Anderson while serving her prison sentence. Before her marriage with Anderson, she was engaged to another person which she reportedly called off in August 2019.

Ahead of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s release from prison on December 28, she revealed her plans to go to a Kansas City Chiefs game with her husband on December 31. She also shared her hopes of meeting Taylor Swift at the game.