Ten years after the shocking murder of Claudine "Dee Dee" Blanchard, her daughter, Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, is sharing her story with the world. Gypsy-Rose was sentenced for taking her mother's life but has since transformed her narrative from convicted criminal to social media influencer and reality TV star following her release from prison.
"I wasn't born evil. I wasn't born a murderer. I'm both victim and perpetrator," Gypsy-Rose stated during her interview on 60 Minutes. Her mother, Dee Dee, had manipulated her for years, feeding her false medical beliefs and causing considerable suffering through fabricated illnesses. "There was a long list of medical illnesses... ranging from muscular dystrophy to leukemia, hearing impaired, vision impaired," Gypsy-Rose recalled.
Americans rallied around Gypsy-Rose and Dee Dee, believing the young girl was suffering from multiple serious conditions. Donations flowed, providing funds for medical treatments and trips to Disney World. But the reality was much darker. Dee Dee was abusing her daughter, often administering medications to induce symptoms of various illnesses. "By the end of it all, there was not a single part of my body—" Gypsy-Rose explained, "that didn't have something supposedly wrong with it." Dee Dee confined Gypsy-Rose to a wheelchair and insisted on numerous unnecessary medical procedures, including the insertion of feeding tubes. "I knew I could walk. I knew I could eat, so I didn't need the feeding tube," Gypsy-Rose affirmed.
Dee Dee's behavior has been examined by experts like Professor Beatrice Yorker, who noted, "Münchhausen syndrome is where someone makes themselves ill for medical attention. When it's Münchhausen syndrome by proxy, you make someone else's child sick for attention." Gypsy-Rose spent her formative years trapped and emotionally manipulated, and by the time she reached her early twenties, she felt she had no escape.
On June 9, 2015, Gypsy-Rose's desperation culminated in tragedy. With the help of her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, whom she met online, Gypsy-Rose devised a plan to kill her mother. That night, Nicholas stabbed Dee Dee 17 times as she slept. "I can honestly say I would have never committed [the crime] had I not been pushed to the brink, where I really just snapped," Gypsy-Rose reflected, recalling feeling paralyzed during the act.
Initially facing the consequences, Gypsy-Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 10-year sentence. Released from prison in December 2023 after serving eight and a half years, she is now on parole and adjusting to life as a free woman. Gypsy-Rose, now 33, has found stability and love with Ken Urker, her pen pal from prison, and welcomed their daughter, Aurora, recently. "My will to be a [better] mother is so strong... I'm not going to continue the [abusive] Cycle," she declared, underscoring her commitment to addressing her past truthfully with her child.
Despite the controversy surrounding her past, Gypsy-Rose is determined to change her narrative—from victim and perpetrator to devoted mother and role model. Her story attracts both outrage and sympathy, continuously sparking discussion about the psychological impacts of abuse and the road to redemption. Gypsy-Rose's experience shines light on the complex nature of trauma and the resilience it takes to rebuild one's life.