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Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard
9
The Murder of
Dee Dee Blanchard
Presentation By: Eric Jia & Kalina Tsung
Background
Background
Abuses
Dee Dee Blanchard
(mother)
Gypsy Rose (daughter)
in a relationship
Murders
Nicholas Godejohn
Thesis
Thesis
Although Nicholas murdered Dee Dee with Gypsy as an accomplice, the unequal power dynamic between Dee Dee and Gypsy restricted Gypsy’s autonomy and free will. Thus, the sentencing for both her and Godejohn should be reduced.
WHWW?
Who?
Dee Dee Blanchard
- Munchausen syndrome by proxy
- Wanted to be a caretaker
- Fabricated Gypsy Rose’s illnesses
- Liked the attention received for being Gypsy’s caretaker
- Received assistance from Habitat for Humanity/Make-A-Wish Foundation/Children’s Mercy Hospital
Gypsy Rose Blanchard
- “Small, frail, and pale for a 19 year old” (58:58 My Favorite Murder Podcast, Ep. 47)
- Went through many surgeries
- Secret FB account named “Emma Rose”
- When she needed real talk with Aleah Woodmansee (neighbor)
- Met Nicholas Godejohn online
Nicholas Godejohn
- Met Gypsy on a Christian dating site
- Built an intimate relationship w/ Gypsy
- June 2015: Stabbed Dee Dee while Gypsy hid in the bathroom
How?
In June 2015, Gypsy let Nicholas into the house when Dee Dee was asleep, and Nicholas stabbed Dee Dee 17 times.
The two took Dee Dee's money and escaped to a motel, then to Nicholas's Wisconsin home.
They were later discovered when disturbing posts were found on Dee Dee's Facebook account, which traced to Nicholas's house in Wisconsin. Gypsy and Nicholas quickly surrendered there.
Why?
Gypsy experienced extreme forms of child abuse, both physical and psychological, that a normal child would not have gone through, prompting murder to seem like the easiest way out during that despairing time period.
- Dee Dee had Munchausen syndrome by proxy
- frequently sought attention & deceived doctors
Why now?
- Gypsy wanted to end the abuse and maltreatment by her mother
- She believed murdering her mother was the only solution
- Formed plan with Nicholas Godejohn
- He arrived to execute the plan
Abuse
Gypsy's Sufferings
Physical Abuse
Munchausen syndrome by proxy
- Gypsy’s “conditions:” sleep apnea, chromosomal disorder, muscular dystrophy (rendered her to a wheelchair), seizures, leukemia, and epilepsy
- Dee Dee faked Gypsy’s age inconsistently
Physically struck, shaved head (to look like she underwent chemotherapy), feeding tube and oxygen tank (was fed liquid nutrition supplement until her 20s), implanted tubes in ears for ear infection
- “Her mother had her salivary glands injected with botox then removed them because her mother complained she drooled too much” (1:13:19 My Favorite Murder Podcast, Ep. 47)
- “She had her eyes operated on for ‘weakness,’ she had a feeding tube implanted, and the reason she was missing teeth was because her mother made her take seizure medication that made her teeth fall out that she didn’t need” (1:13:28 My Favorite Murder Podcast, Ep. 47)
Trial & Outcomes
Given the circumstances, Gypsy and Nicholas were punished severely for trying to regain Gypsy's freedom. The sentencing impedes Gypsy’s ability to live a normal life.
Even as a victim, Gypsy was sentenced to 10 years in prison under a plea bargain to second-degree murder.
Trial
Nicholas's lawyers argued he had less responsibility because of his low IQ of 82. This was unsuccessful, as he was given a life sentence for first-degree murder in February 2019.
Dee Dee's family members were not saddened by her death, believing she deserved it and refusing to pay for her funeral expenses.
???
Conclusion
Ever since her childhood, Gypsy lived under Dee Dee's iron fist. With Gypsy’s desperation to escape, she finally freed herself through her mother’s death. However, with her sentence, she must first spend a portion of her life imprisoned, then manage to reintegrate herself back into society.
Discussion Questions
1. What role did Dr. Flasterstein play in not speaking out about the situation, even after stating there wasn’t enough evidence to file an actual report?
2. Gypsy states, “It was not because I hated her. It was because I wanted to escape her” and “...And at that point, I wanted to go help her so bad, but I was so afraid to get up” when Nicholas was stabbing Dee Dee. Does this make Gypsy a victim or villain?
3. The podcast states, “This wasn’t a situation where a girl killed her mom to be with her boyfriend. This was a situation of a girl trying to escape abuse” (1:15:44 My Favorite Murder Podcast, Ep. 47). What are your thoughts on this?
4. Should Nicholas Goldejohn’s and/or Gypsy Rose’s sentence be altered? Was murdering Dee Dee the only way out?
References
Adult Gypsy Rose. https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/wh-ap-gypsy-booking-1555511699.jpg. Accessed 8 September 2022.
DeegypBlancharde. Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/deegyp.blancharde. Accessed 8 September 2022.
“HD Best Quality Nick Godejohn Jail Interview - Gypsy Rose - Dee Dee Blanchard Trial Original.” YouTube, uploaded by Crime for Dummies, 10 Jun. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=w68LUlhKTlE. Accessed 8 September 2022.
Kilgariff, Karen, and Georgia Hardstark. “My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark.” IHeart, https://www.iheart.com/podcast/268-my-favorite-murder-w-279114
29/?keyid%5B0%5D=My+Favorite+Murder+with+Karen+Kilgariff+and+Georgia+Hardstark&keyid%5B1%5D=47+-+Live+at+The+Bell+House&sc=podcast_widget.
Kettler, Sara. “The Story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Her Mother.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 3 June 2021, https://www.biography.com/news/gypsy-rose-blanch
ard-mother-dee-dee-murder. Accessed 8 September 2022.
Lovitt, Bryn. Beyond Gypsy Blancharde: When Mothers Harm Their Kids for Attention, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/beyond-gyp
sy-blancharde-when-mothers-harm-their-kids-for-attention-250206/. Accessed 8 September 2022.
“Murder of Dee Dee Blanchard.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Sept. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Dee_Dee_Blanchard. Accessed 8 September 2022.
Real Life Villains Wiki, 24 June 2022, https://static.miraheze.org/reallifevillainswiki/thumb/2/24/20200920_041620.png/330px-20200920_041620.png. Accessed 8 September 2022.
Text Messages Between Gypsy and the Defendant. https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2018/11/14/PSPR/f15e2173-392e-47a7-b45f-6c984bfcad3b-Godejohn19.jpg?crop=5202,2938,x0,y0&width=1600&height=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp. Accessed 8 September 2022.
“Young Gypsy Rose.” Yahoo, https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/LoFpfqeEl7tnsG.K4l4QKw--/YXB
waWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD02NzU-/https://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/dr_phil_276/abd0061eab6608551e060ee8a9cfdc02. Accessed 8 September 2022.