Child abuse survivor Gypsy Rose Blanchard was released from prison today after serving more than seven years for the murder of her mother.
The murder of Blanchard's mother, Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, who allegedly abused her daughter by convincing Blanchard and the public she was sick, inspired an HBO documentary and a Hulu miniseries that garnered Patricia Arquette an Emmy win.
Blanchard, now 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison for planning her mother's murder with her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, whom she had met online. Three years later, Godejohn was convicted of first-degree murder for stabbing DeeDee to death and was sentenced to life in prison, the New York Times reports.
What did DeeDee Blanchard do to her daughter?
Blanchard's mother convinced her that she suffered from conditions such as leukemia, muscular dystrophy, vision and hearing impairments, and seizures, ABC News reports. Blanchard's mother kept her weak and dependent on her and had her use a wheelchair and go through multiple surgeries that were later determined to be unnecessary. While DeeDee was never diagnosed before her death, it is widely believed she suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder where a parent or caregiver either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like their child is sick to get attention.
"She physically chained me to the bed and put bells on the doors and told ... anybody that I probably would've trusted that I was going through a phase and to tell her if I was doing anything behind her back," Blanchard told ABC News' 20/20 in 2017, according to NBC News.
How was Blanchard's boyfriend involved?
When Blanchard got older, she created an online dating profile. Eventually, she began a relationship with Godejohn, but when her mother found out, she ordered her to stay away from him. According to NBC News, Blanchard told 20/20 in 2017 that her mother "got jealous because I was spending a little too much attention on him, and she had ordered me to stay away from him."
In June 2015, Godejohn stabbed DeeDee in her bedroom, later telling police he did it to protect his girlfriend.
How was Blanchard caught?
On the day of the murder, Godejohn traveled from his home in Big Bend, Wisconsin, to Blanchard's home near Springfield, Missouri, where he stabbed DeeDee 17 times. Blanchard and Godejohn then reportedly had sex before traveling to a motel room. They then mailed the knife used in the murder to Godejohn's home before taking a bus there.
The couple was caught and arrested the same month as the murder after the police raided Godejohn's home, according to The Kansas City Star.
What was Gypsy Rose Blanchard sentenced to?
Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years in prison—the minimum for second-degree murder— as part of a plea agreement that took her mother's abuse into account. She served more than seven years behind bars before being released on parole on December 28.
