March 20, 2024 • 68 mins
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Could you find yourself ensnared in a web of lies so tangled that murder seemed like the only escape? That's the harrowing question at the heart of today's episode, where we go through the emotionally charged final chapter of Gypsy Rose Blanchard's story. We unravel the complexities of the courtroom drama that followed her mother Dee Dee's murder, scrutinizing the emotional testimonies, Gypsy's poignant court appearances, and the trove of evidence that pivoted the fate of Gypsy and her boyfriend, Nick.
The narrative intensifies as we revisit the welfare check that unearthed Dee Dee's demise, the cab rides sketching a deceitful timeline, and the forensic DNA analysis that solidified the prosecution's case. The chilling confessions, Facebook messages, and psychological evaluations unveiled in the trial against Gypsy and Nick paint a vivid portrait of a life distorted by manipulation and control, culminating in a desperate bid for emancipation through the darkest of deeds.
As we trace Gypsy's path towards potential parole, the weight of her past actions and the shadow of Dee Dee's influence loom large. With Nick sentenced to life, Gypsy confronts her reality—engagement behind bars, candid reflections, and the unwavering support of her stepmother. Her search for redemption is a testament to the human spirit's resilience amidst the chaos wrought by those we trust most. Follow us for more gripping true crime tales at Crime Connors Source on Instagram and share your case suggestions as we continue to shed light on the stories that both shock and compel us.
Source Material: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u0iFjwNw9zKEf8eDmjjf1S9crMOdEVoMbQf7FMuow1c/edit?usp=sharing
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back crime connoisseurs.
I'm your host, grace D.
Last week we covered some wildtwist and turns, and this week
it's just as wild.
I did not want to break thisepisode into another part, so it
is full warning about an hourlong.
There's just so muchinformation and detail in this
(00:23):
case that I did not want toleave anything out.
So, to recap, gypsy shot at DeeDee, but quickly found out that
the gun was actually a BB gun.
Afterward, gypsy joined anonline Christian dating site
where she met Nick Godajan.
The two quickly fell for eachother and kept their
relationship a secret for threeyears.
(00:44):
They finally met in person inMarch 2015.
They arranged for Nick to cometo Springfield to meet Gypsy and
Dee Dee at the movie theater tosee the new Cinderella movie,
hoping that if Dee Dee believedthat they had met for the first
time in person, dee Dee wouldallow the two to date and they
wouldn't have to be a secretanymore.
(01:04):
However, their plan did notwork and it only made Dee Dee
mad.
This was when Gypsy's finalplot to escape from Dee Dee's
abuse of control came to be.
After thinking of every optionto escape Dee Dee, each one
ended with Dee Dee being able tofind Gypsy and force her back
(01:25):
home.
All but one Gypsy asked Nick tokill Dee Dee.
The two went back and forth onways to carry out the murder
Poison, arson, a gun and thenthey finally settled on a knife.
Gypsy stole money from DeeDee's safe, mailed it to Nick in
a greeting card, and Nickbought a bus ticket from
(01:46):
Wisconsin to Springfield,missouri.
On June 9th 2015, nick arrivedin Springfield and a few hours
later Gypsy and Nick carried outtheir murder plot.
The two left Springfield twodays later and went to Nick's
home in Big Bend, wisconsin.
The guilt of Dee Dee's murderwas starting to get to Gypsy and
(02:08):
she made a post on their sharedFacebook account.
That got the attention ofFluked Ones, who alerted the
authorities of their concerns,and the police found Dee Dee's
body.
The FBI traced the IP addressfrom the post to Nick's home.
The Waukesha County police weredispatched to Nick's home,
where there was a bit of astandoff.
The two eventually surrenderedand were taken to the hospital.
(02:29):
The two eventually surrenderedand were taken into custody in
Waukesha County, wheredetectives interrogated them
before extraditing them toSpringfield, missouri, where
they were held on a $1 millionbond.
Buckle up Buttercups, becausewe're in for a wild ride.
This is the final part of theGypsy Rose Blanchard saga.
(03:28):
On June 29, 2015,.
Gypsy Blanchard made her firstcourt appearance.
During her arraignment, sheentered the Pat courtroom and
pleaded not guilty tofirst-degree murder and armed
criminal action in the stabbingdeath of her mother, claudine
Dee Dee Blanchard.
Gypsy's father, rod, was at thearraignment and saw his
(03:50):
daughter for the first time in12 years.
Rod and his wife, christie,hired a defense attorney for
Gypsy.
Rod Christie and attorney MikeStanfield all met for the first
time on July 15, 2015, at theBlanchard residence.
Mike said he wanted to see thecrime scene for himself as early
(04:14):
as possible and while in thehome, the three of them found a
stolen prescription pad from thehospital in the medicine
cabinet.
Gypsy was led into thecourtroom wearing a black and
white striped jail uniform.
She sat down and lookedstraightforward.
Throughout the arraignment shedid not speak other than
(04:36):
whispering a few words to herlawyer before being led out of
the courtroom.
Mike Stanfield told Judge RonCarrier that he wanted Gypsy's
case to be severed from Nick'scase.
Green County prosecutor DanPatterson argued this and said
he wanted Gypsy and Nick's casesto stay joined together.
(04:57):
Judge Carrier ruled to separatethe cases on July 20 at a
motion hearing.
Nick's attorney also filed amotion for a change of judge and
Judge Carrier agreed to that.
The state's case began with twoseparate witnesses from the
Green County Sheriff's Office totheir involvement in the
(05:20):
investigation into DD Slang.
A supervision sergeant with theGreen County Sheriff's Office,
jim Stanley, said he enteredinto the Blanchard's home only
to discover DD's body.
He sat at the witness stand andthe shuffling of crime scene
photos was the only noise in thecourtroom.
(05:40):
Gypsy rocked back and forth inher chair, staring straight
ahead.
The prosecutor showed a seriesof photos of the crime scene.
They asked the deputy todescribe the more gruesome ones.
Stanley then described aloud aseries of photos taken of DD's
body in a pool of black dryblood, the numerous stab wounds
(06:04):
to her body and a deep cuttingmark on the back of her neck.
Patterson asked Stanley if hehad checked DD for vital signs
upon fighting her.
Quote no respiration, no pulse,end quote.
Gypsy began crying softly.
Stanley finally said quote, shewas deceased.
(06:27):
End quote.
Gypsy began visibly shaking asshe sobbed.
Stanley also noted thediscovery of an envelope at
Nick's residence containing an11-inch knife and bloody blue
latex gloves In hiscross-examination of the witness
, mike Stanfield, noted thatvolunteer.
(06:50):
The name of the street whereGypsy has lived for years was
misspelled on the envelope.
Detective Stan Hancock, aCriminal Investigation
Division's detective, discussedthe content of a backpack and
suitcase found in Nick's home aswell as eight pages of Facebook
records.
Stanfield and Patterson arguedover the validity of the
(07:15):
Facebook records for some time,although they were eventually
accepted as evidence.
In his cross-examination,stanfield asked if Detective
Hancock had found any recordsspecifically showing Gypsy
asking Nick to kill her mother.
Detective Hancock stated he had, but did not want to say
(07:37):
anything without exact wording.
The last witness, michaelCostello, was a computer
forensic examiner for theSpringfield Police Department.
Patterson submitted a series oftext messages that Costello had
pulled from phones he believedbelonged to Gypsy and Nick.
Here are some of the messagesthat Patterson read aloud, which
(08:01):
he said were from Gypsy to Nick.
Quote I will text you.
We are doing this tonight.
Will you need an anxiety med tocalm you after?
You may not need to put on thegloves because we will sink it.
So it's never found.
End quote.
Here are several messages thatPatterson said were from Nick to
(08:27):
Gypsy.
Quote honey, you forget.
I am ruthless and my hatred forher will force her to die.
It's my evil side doing it.
He won't mess up, he enjoyskilling End quote.
Near the end of the hearing,patterson read a particular
(08:48):
message which he said was fromGypsy to Nick.
Quote we will be happy soonAfter this night.
We will never bring it up, endquote.
Stanfield did not cross-examineCostello and shortly after
Judge Ronald Carrier ruled therewas enough evidence to move the
(09:09):
case forward closer to a trial,an arraignment was set for July
31st.
On July 5th 2016, gypsy RoseBlanchard pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder for herpart in her mother's murder.
She agreed to a 10-year prisonsentence and admitted to her
(09:30):
role in planning of the killingof her mother, claudine Dee Dee
Blanchard.
In an interview with NewsLeader after the hearing, green
County prosecutor Dan Pattersonsaid he believed he could have
secured a first-degree murderconviction in this case, meaning
Gypsy would have spent the restof her life in prison, but he
(09:53):
did not believe that that wasfair.
Because of the abuse that Gypsysuffered at the hand of her
mother, he said he felt like 10years in prison.
The minimum sentence for asecond-degree murder conviction
was more appropriate.
Dan Patterson said quote whenyou look at this case, it's a
(10:14):
murder and it's a first-degreemurder, but it's also one of the
most extraordinary and unusualcases we have seen.
End quote.
Mike Stanfield, gypsy's attorney, said he was able to uncover
decades worth of abuse that DeeDee Blanchard inflicted on Gypsy
(10:35):
as part of an elaborate fraudscheme.
This was also covered duringLifetime's prison confessions
with Gypsy Blanchard, where herformer pediatrician was
presented with never-before-seenmedical records.
Mike Stanfield said quoteessentially Gypsy's mother was
(10:55):
holding her prisoner.
Her mother would not allow herto spend any time alone with any
other human being.
Her mother, when they went tothe doctor, did all the talking.
End quote.
When the judge asked Gypsy howfar she went in school during
the hearing, she said secondgrade.
(11:16):
Stanfield said he didn'tbelieve his client had any
formal schooling pastkindergarten.
Nick Godajan was still facing afirst-degree murder charge in
connection with the killing.
His trial was scheduled forNovember 2016.
Gypsy would have to serve eightand a half years behind bars
(11:39):
before she'd be eligible forparole.
Stanfield said Gypsy's healthhad proved in the year that she
had been in the Green Countyjail and not in her mother's
care.
He told Buzzfeed that Gypsy wasso malnourished that in her
first year of being in jail shegained 14 pounds, in contrast to
(12:01):
his other clients who lostweight.
In that situation For months,mike Stanfield traveled to
Louisiana to try to recoverGypsy's medical records, which
is how he was able to uncoverdecades worth of abuse.
After it came out how Diditreated Gypsy all those years,
(12:22):
sympathy for her as the victimof a violent murder quickly
shifted to Gypsy as a long-termvictim of child abuse.
In October 2016, nick waved hisright to a jury trial during a
hearing on charges offirst-degree murder and armed
criminal action.
Nick's trial was rescheduled toFebruary 6th through 8th 2017.
(12:48):
This was a push by his defenseattorney.
Nick's attorney wanted tointroduce evidence about his
mental capacity.
Part of that evidence was thatNick has been diagnosed in the
past with Asperger's syndrome, amild form of autism.
They also wanted to argue thatif Nick is guilty, he's guilty
(13:12):
of second-degree murder, notfirst-degree murder, because of
his mental capacity.
They argued that Nick doesn'thave the mental capacity for the
required elements under statelaw that are necessary for a
first-degree murder conviction,mainly whether he deliberated
before the murder.
The following month, on November30th, at a pretrial hearing,
(13:38):
green County Court Judge Holdenruled that a defense hired
psychologist could testify atthe trial of Nick Godajon.
The psychologist did two mentalevaluations of Nick at the
Green County Jail.
He said that Nick thought hewas doing the right thing when
he killed Didi because he wantedto rescue Gypsy from her mother
(14:02):
.
Didi and Gypsy's relativesbelieved Didi required Gypsy to
act as if she was sick andpretended to be younger than she
was so they could get sympathyand aid from charities and
social service agencies.
People who knew them thoughtGypsy couldn't walk and possibly
(14:22):
was fatally ill.
The psychologist said Nick ison the autism spectrum and
spends most of his time on theinternet and playing video games
.
He described him as more like achild than an adult.
Nick's IQ is 82 and hefunctions at the level of a 10
(14:44):
or 11 year old.
The psychologist's findingscould result in Nick being found
guilty of a lesser charge thanfirst-degree murder, which
requires someone to contemplatebefore killing another person.
Nicholas Godajon's trial startedon November 12th 2018 and
(15:05):
lasted four days.
Before the jury was broughtinto the courtroom, the
attorneys argued some pre-trialmotions before Judge David Jones
.
Nick's attorney, dwayne Perry,asked the judge to prevent the
jury from seeing parts of Nick'srecorded confession to
detectives where he said heconsidered raping Dee Dee before
(15:29):
killing her.
Perry argued that statement wasnot relevant because Nick did
not act on the rape idea.
Nathan Chapman, the assistantGreen County prosecutor, argued
that the statement should beused at the trial because it
shows premeditation, a necessarycomponent of first-degree
(15:52):
murder.
The judge allowed the evidenceto be shown at trial.
There was also discussion aboutother possible sexual evidence
that might come up at trial,like Nick and Gypsy having sex
in the home after the homicideand text messages exchanged
between the two.
(16:12):
The prosecution went through atimeline of events depicting
what happened before and afterDee Dee's murder.
They described the Facebookposts that suggested Dee Dee was
dead, how Gypsy had been raped,finding Dee Dee's body to
finding Gypsy and Nick inWisconsin at Nick's family home.
(16:33):
Prosecutor Chapman said heintended to prove Nick
deliberated several times beforekilling Dee Dee and should be
found guilty of first-degreemurder.
Chapman began by describingNick standing outside of Dee
Dee's bedroom door holding aknife and thinking about his
(16:53):
actions before killing.
Chapman told the jury quote theonly thing that stood between
him being with Gypsy wasClaudine.
End quote.
He then described severalincidences where he believed
Nick deliberated before themurder, like when Nick was
standing outside the bedroomdoor, when he took the long bus
(17:17):
ride to Springfield and even ayear prior when Gypsy first
brought up the idea of killingher mother.
Chapman talked about Nick'sconfession of stabbing Dee Dee
in the back and neck, he andGypsy having sex, mailing the
knife to his house and taking aGreyhound bus back to Wisconsin.
(17:39):
Andrew Mead, one of the publicdefenders representing Nick,
made his opening statement tothe jury.
Mead painted Nick as anautistic man with few friends
who only had one real job in hislife, holding a sign outside of
a pizza shop and spending mostof his time on the internet.
Mead said quote that was hisoutlet to the world end.
(18:04):
Quote.
He told the jury how Nick metGypsy online in October 2012 and
fell madly in love.
He then described the abusethat Gypsy suffered at the hands
of her mother, which includedDee Dee forcing her daughter to
pretend she was disabled andundergo unnecessary medical
(18:26):
procedures.
Mead said it was Gypsy whoformulated the plan for the
killing to escape her mother.
He said Gypsy arranged for Nickto come down to Springfield and
stole the murder weapon.
Quote.
Nick was happy to do whateverGypsy wanted.
He was always compliant.
Mead said the defense plannedto show that Nick wasn't able to
(18:52):
formulate the necessary mentalstate to commit first-degree
murder because of his autism.
He said the defense was notdisputing that Nick killed Dee
Dee, but that they do notbelieve first-degree murder is
the appropriate charge.
Current and former Green CountySheriff's Office deputies were
(19:13):
the first two witnesses to takethe stand.
First, Deputy Mike Robertsontestified about going to the
Blanchard House on Volunteer Wayin June 2015 to check the
well-being of Dee Dee and Gypsy.
At that time, neighbors had notseen the pair for days and
(19:34):
there was an unsettling post ontheir joint Facebook page.
Robertson said he did not seeany signs of forced entry.
Next up was Jim Stanley, aformer sergeant in the Sheriff's
Office in 2015.
Stanley testified aboutobtaining a search warrant for
(19:54):
the home and going inside tofind Dee Dee's body, as well as
a wipe paper, towels and bloodevidence.
Photos shown by prosecutorsshowed the Blanchard House was
cluttered with papers and boxesthroughout the home.
Tom Vandenberg with the GreenCounty Medical Examiner's Office
(20:15):
was the third witness called tothe stand.
Dr Vandenberg testified that hewent to the Blanchard Home on
Volunteer Way in June 2015 toexamine Dee Dee's body.
Dr Vandenberg said Dee Dee wasfound face down on a bloody
mattress in the home.
She had a parent stab wounds onher back and the back of her
(20:41):
head.
There were 17 total stab woundsand two large cuts.
The two wounds pierced her bodycavity, including her lungs,
diaphragm, heart and liver.
According to Dr Vandenberg, deeDee had been dead for at least
24 to 36 hours.
(21:02):
Before authorities found herJours were given folders of
photographs that showed DeeDee's injuries.
However, those photographs werenot shown to the courtroom
audience.
The cause of death wasdetermined to be stab wounds.
I was able to get access toview the photos and I will link
(21:26):
them in the source material inthe show notes.
Due to their graphic nature, Iwill not post them on the
Instagram account.
Up next, two cab driverstestified about rides they
provided early in the morninghours of June 10, 2015 to and
from the home where Gypsy andDee Dee Blanchard lived.
(21:49):
Sherry Messer said she pickedup a white male at the Days Inn
Hotel on North Glenstone Avenueat 1.57 am.
Messer testified quote I'm verytalkative with my passengers,
especially people that I pick upat an airport or a hotel.
End quote.
(22:10):
She recalled that the man saidhe was from Wisconsin and he
spoke with an accent, though shedidn't know what kind of accent
.
Messer said quote.
He said he was here to meet hisgirlfriend end quote.
She said she pulled up to thehouse on Volunteer Way about 10
(22:31):
minutes later and parked on thestreet.
According to Messer, the manasked her to wait for a few
seconds as he was on the phonetexting his girlfriend to see
what door she wanted him to useand then he got out quote.
He didn't go to the front door,he went to the rear of the home
(22:52):
end quote.
The other cab driver, JohnHarmon, testified that he picked
up two people in his cab a fewhours later, shortly before 6 am
.
Harmon said there was a manwearing blue jeans and a white
t-shirt and a woman wearing askirt quote.
(23:13):
It looked like possibly she hada wig on end quote.
He said it was a quiet ride tothe Days Inn Hotel.
He dropped them off at 5.55 amand the woman paid him.
Detective Mahoney testifiedabout her interrogation with
Nick.
She told the court about herinteraction with him, saying
(23:37):
quote.
He was pleasant, he had ablanket, he was handcuffed, he
was kind.
End quote.
Then the prosecution played avideo lasting about 90 minutes
showing Mahoney's interrogationof Nick, according to Facebook
messages shown at trial morethan a year before DeeDee was
(24:00):
stabbed to death, detectiveJoseph Fletcher, with the Green
County Sheriff's Office,testified about investigating
Nick's Facebook account.
Some of the messages reviewedby Fletcher were shown on a TV
screen for jurors.
The messages from May 2014showed Nick had planned, with
(24:26):
Gypsy, to kill DeeDee Blanchard.
At one point, nick messaged hisfriend asking quote how crazy
do you think Gypsy is?
End quote.
On the second day of trial,detective Jody Krop, with the
Waukesha County Sheriff'sDepartment, took the stand.
(24:46):
Detective Krop led a search ofNick Godajohn's home in Big Bend
, wisconsin, in the days afterDeeDee was found dead in
Springfield, missouri.
With Detective Krop on thestand.
The state showed photographsdocumenting items seized during
the search of his home,including a cell phone, a
(25:08):
computer tower, a black wig anda baggie filled with cash.
The detective also seized someclothing, such as a hoodie,
shoes and a t-shirt featuringcreepy clowns that all had
suspected blood on them.
The next witness was nowretired Waukesha County
(25:29):
Sheriff's Department DetectiveAlan Voss.
The state used Voss to admitinto evidence many of the items
seized during the search ofNick's home in Big Bend,
wisconsin.
The defense objected whenprosecutors tried to admit a
computer tower into evidence.
The attorneys briefly entered aside room before the judge
(25:51):
allowed the item into evidence.
Prosecutors also admitted intoevidence an envelope seized from
the house.
Prosecutors have said thedefendants mailed the murder
weapon from Springfield to thehome in Wisconsin after the
homicide.
The envelope was not opened inthe courtroom.
(26:16):
The third witness of the day wasLieutenant Stan Hancock with
the Green County Sheriff'sOffice.
He was the lead investigator inthe case.
With Hancock on the stand, theprosecutors played surveillance
video of Nick and Gypsy togetherat the Days Inn Hotel and the
Greyhound bus station on June 11, 2015 and June 12, 2015.
(26:44):
Prosecutors believed the coupletried to get on a bus from
Springfield to Wisconsin on June11 after killing Dee Dee, but
had to stay an extra nightbefore leaving on June 12.
Nick was the one who handed themoney to the clerks at the
hotel and the bus station.
Lieutenant Hancock alsotestified about opening an
(27:06):
envelope found at Nick's home inWisconsin and finding a knife
and gloves.
The knife, which is suspectedto be the murder weapon, was
presented to the jury.
After Hancock's testimony, thecourt took a break for lunch.
When the trial resumed, a DNAanalysis expert took the stand.
(27:29):
Aaron Exner testified that heworked in the Missouri State
Highway Patrol's crime lab,exner, explained to the jury
what DNA is and how DNA samplesare compared.
Exner testified that a bloodsmeared paper towel roll found
in the Blanchard's home had DNAthat almost certainly came from
(27:53):
Nicholas Gotajon.
Exner said that he also testeda serrated knife that had DNA
from Nick Gotajon, dee DeeBlanchard and Gypsy Blanchard.
Michael Costello, the computerforensic analyst with the
Springfield Police Department,also took the stand.
(28:13):
But before Costello took thestand, the judge warned the jury
this testimony could take along time.
Nick's attorney objected toCostello's testimony.
Costello said he assisted inthe investigation into Dee Dee's
death by examining twocomputers and a phone owned by
(28:36):
Nick.
The examinations showed Nicksearched for bondage equipment,
knives, handcuffs and more.
The judge allowed Costello'stestimony to be given.
Michael Costello read aloudhundreds of text messages sent
between Gypsy Blanchard and NickGotajon in May and June.
(28:59):
For the most part, the textmessages were about love, sex
and planning a life together inrural Wisconsin, but as June 10,
2015 approached, the textingturned to topics of knives and
duct tape.
The day before the killing,nick texted Gypsy that his evil
(29:20):
side would need duct tape.
Nick and Gypsy often referredto each other's sinister alter
egos in the texts.
Nick was Victor, the500-year-old vampire, or his
evil side, and Gypsies was Ruby.
Nick said his evil side enjoyskilling.
(29:42):
He asked Gypsy whether her momwas a light sleeper and if her
bedroom floors squeaked.
Some of the text and the daysand weeks earlier were ordinary,
while others were sexual,including a long string of
messages about bondage.
Gypsy asked Nick if he wouldgive her her first orgasm and if
(30:06):
he would finger her on the busride.
She texted him.
Quote you make my girly partstingle.
End quote.
Nick sat silently as the textwere read, squinting at the TV
screen.
On the third day of trial, theattorneys and Judge Jones spent
(30:26):
a good part of the morning inthe side room.
When they were finished, thejury was brought into the
courtroom at about 10.28 am andthe defense called Gypsy Rose
Blanchard as its first witness.
Gypsy testified that her motherwould not allow her to date.
Quote she controlled everyaspect of my life.
(30:48):
End quote.
Gypsy said her mother forced herto use a wheelchair even though
she didn't need one.
That started what she was abouteight years old.
Gypsy said her mother told hershe had cancer, muscular
dystrophy, seizure disorder andother ailments.
(31:10):
She said she began realizingthat she was healthy at around
age 19.
Gypsy said Didi did this forattention and financial benefit.
Gypsy testified she tried torun away from her mother in the
spring of 2011, but Didi caughther in about four hours, she
(31:33):
said.
As a punishment, didi chainedher to the bed, hit her, punched
her and starved her.
Gypsy said she came up with theidea of killing her mom.
Quote I wanted to be free ofher.
Hold on me end quote.
Gypsy admitted how she convincedNick to help her kill her
(31:55):
mother, stating quote I talkedhim into it end quote.
She said she felt like it wasnecessary because she did not
think anyone would believe herif she reported her mother's
abuse to the police.
Gypsy said her mother had legaldocumentation that would show
she was incompetent.
(32:15):
She said she paid for Nick tocome to Springfield, stole the
knife from Walmart and providedhim with the gloves before the
murder.
She also said it was her ideato mail the knife back to
Wisconsin after the killing.
Gypsy said she never consideredthat the police would find her
(32:38):
after they executed their planand she intended to live the
rest of her life in Wisconsinwith Nick.
During cross examination.
Gypsy said, during their roleplaying, that she was the slave
and Nick was the master.
She testified that Nick wouldsend her scripts to read when
(33:00):
they made videos.
She also said it was Nick whochose stabbing as the method to
kill Didi.
Gypsy said she sent Nick apicture of the knife before the
murder and he approved of theweapon.
She testified that Nick came upwith a plan of what to tell
authorities if they were caughtafter the murder.
(33:22):
The plan was to say that Gypsyhad been kicked out of her house
by Didi and had called him topick her up.
After Gypsy answered the lastquestions from the attorneys,
the attorneys went into a sideroom with the judge to make a
record.
Nick and Gypsy Blanchard satsilently in the courtroom as the
(33:45):
attorneys were away.
After Gypsy's testimony, thecourt broke for lunch.
After the break, judge DavidJones ruled against a defense
motion regarding juryinstructions.
The first witness of theafternoon session was Dr Kent
(34:07):
Franks, a Springfieldpsychologist, who evaluated Nick
twice, once in December 2015and again about seven months
later.
Dr Kent Franks testified thatNick has an IQ of 82, which he
said is low average.
(34:27):
Dr Franks said Nick struggleswith his memory and processing
speed.
He said he diagnosed Nick withautism spectrum disorder.
Dr Franks also discussed Nick'supbringing.
He said Nick went throughschool in special education
classes and spent a lot of timealone as a child, living with
(34:51):
his single mother.
Nick had one close friend, onegirlfriend and one job holding a
sign outside of the pizza shopfor about 13 months before
meeting Gypsy.
Dr Franks said quote he doesn'thave any work skills.
End quote, adding that Nick wason disability.
(35:14):
He said Nick also struggleswith personal hygiene, often
forgetting to shower or brushhis teeth.
Dr Franks said it would bedifficult for Nick to deliberate
because of his autism spectrumdisorder.
Deliberation is a necessarycomponent of first degree murder
(35:35):
, which is the charge that Nickis facing.
During cross examination,prosecutor Patterson questioned
Dr Franks about other messageson Nick's Facebook account.
Patterson asked Dr Franks if hehad ever reviewed sexting
Facebook messages that Nick hadsent to another woman in 2014
(36:00):
when he and Gypsy were boyfriendand girlfriend.
Dr Franks answered that he didnot.
Dr Franks was excused and whilethe jury was out of the
courtroom, nick told Judge Joneshe would not testify in his own
defense during the guilt phaseof his trial.
With that, the defense restedand prosecutors called Dr Robert
(36:26):
Denny, a clinical psychologist,as a rebuttal witness.
Dr Denny said he examined Nickand diagnosed him with autism
spectrum disorder level 1.
That is a less severe versionof autism spectrum disorder than
what Dr Kent Franks diagnosedhim with.
(36:47):
After this it was nearly 5.30pmand the judge ended trial for
the day.
The next day, the final day oftrial, dr Denny returned to the
stand for cross-examination byNick's defense team.
Upon being questioned byAttorney Dwayne Perry, dr Denny
(37:08):
reviewed the trivial details ofpsychological tests, nick's
scores on these tests and whatthese different tests mean.
Dr Denny said Nick scored belowaverage on these tests.
After the defense'scross-examination, prosecutors
said they had no more rebuttalevidence.
(37:28):
The lawyers then went over thejury instructions.
The trial was recessed untilabout 12.15pm.
Jury instructions were readaloud and then closing arguments
were made.
Nick's attorney, dwayne Perry,filed a motion for judgment of
(37:48):
acquittal a standard procedureat the end of a criminal trial
and Judge David Jones denied themotion.
Great Green County prosecutorNathan Chapman went first in his
closing arguments he told thejury that he believed
first-degree murder was theappropriate conviction because
(38:09):
Nicholas Gotajohn had thoughtabout killing DeeDee more than
one year before.
Chapman said that even thoughthe murder was Gypsy's idea,
nick is still responsible forhis actions.
Chapman said quote.
Yes, he was asked to do it, buthe took it from there.
End quote.
(38:30):
Chapman said Nick was nottricked into killing DeeDee.
He asked the jurors not to letDeeDee's abuse that she
inflicted on Gypsy affect theirdecision-making, saying, quote
all that matters is what thedefendant did on June 10, 2015,.
(38:51):
End quote.
Chapman continued quote DeeDeeBlanchard deserved to be held
accountable in a court of lawfor her abuse of her daughter,
not as she was sleeping in themiddle of the night.
End quote.
Nick's attorney, dwayne Perry,went next in closing arguments.
(39:12):
He asked the jury to find Nicknot guilty of first-degree
murder and consider a lessercharge.
Perry described Nick as alow-functioning person with
autism and capable of truedeliberation.
He said Nick was manipulatedinto committing the homicide by
Gypsy.
(39:32):
Quote she talked him into doingit.
End quote.
Perry said Nick thought ofhimself as Gypsy's rescuer.
Quote Nick was so in love withher and so obsessed with her
that he would do anything, andGypsy knew that.
End quote.
(39:56):
Green County prosecutor DanPatterson was the last to give
his closing arguments.
Patterson said that Nick'smotive to kill DeeDee wasn't to
rescue her daughter.
He said Nick was motivated bybeing with Gypsy and having sex
with her, which he did after themurder.
(40:18):
Patterson also pointed toevidence that he said shows
deliberation, like text messagesasking whether DeeDee was a
light sleeper, and an interviewthat Nick did with a journalist
where he said he waited for aminute outside of the bedroom
door thinking about whether tocommit the homicide.
(40:39):
Quote you know that he did it.
You know that he coollydeliberated.
End quote.
Patterson asked for a firstdegree murder conviction.
The jury also had the option ofsecond degree murder and
involuntary manslaughter.
(41:00):
The jury began deliberating at2.12 pm.
After two hours and 10 minutes,judge David Jones announced
that the jury had reached averdict.
On November 16, 2018, the juryfound Nicholas Godajon guilty of
(41:23):
first degree murder and armedcriminal action.
In an interview with Dr Phil inNovember 2017, dr Phil asked
Gypsy if she was glad thatDeeDee was dead.
She replied quote I'm glad thatI'm out of that situation, but
(41:43):
I am not happy she is dead.
End quote.
On February 22, 2019, nick wassentenced to life in prison
without parole and a 25 yearsentence for armed criminal
action.
Before his sentence was read,nick was given an opportunity to
(42:04):
speak to the courtroom.
He said all he ever wanted wasto be with Gypsy and that he'd
never known true love orrelationship with any woman.
He said quote it's missing.
It's always been a missing link.
That's the reason.
That's, I guess, when I got sodeep into this situation, I fell
(42:29):
in love so deeply.
End quote.
Nick said he believes in thesaying that love is blind.
Saying quote I admit it, I wasblind in love.
End quote.
In April 2019, people Magazinereported that Gypsy was engaged.
(42:50):
The magazine reported that shehad yet to reveal her fiance's
name.
They became friends after hebegan writing to her in the
Chilokothi prison.
By this time, gypsy was 27years old.
Also that month, the push torelease Gypsy early from prison
started.
(43:10):
At the time, more than 96,000people had signed an online
petition to release Gypsy.
Gypsy met Ken, her fiance, in2017.
Once after she was sentenced toserve 10 years in prison for
her involvement in Dee Dee'smurder, he wrote to her at
(43:34):
Chilokothi Correctional Centerin Missouri shortly after he saw
HBO's documentary about hercase.
Mommy, dead and Dearest.
Gypsy said quote I thought hesounded like a cool guy so I
wrote him back.
We became pen pals and startedtalking on the phone.
He was easy to talk to and wehad so much in common.
(43:57):
End quote.
Ken proposed to Gypsy during avisit to the prison in 2018.
They planned to marry in January2020, but the engagement was
called off four months beforeexchanging vows.
Gypsy and Ken briefly reunited,but their wedding was still
(44:18):
postponed.
The couple then called it quitsagain.
With over 250 men who hadwritten to her while in prison,
one letter stuck out because ofits humor, so she wrote back to
the person.
That person was Ryan Anderson,a special education teacher in
(44:40):
Louisiana.
By May 2020, the two had becomepen pals, writing back and
forth and eventually falling inlove.
Ryan visited Gypsy in theChillicothe Correctional Center
because it was important for himto meet her in person.
The two sat and talked for fourhours on that first visit.
(45:03):
Gypsy said the connectionbetween the two of them was so
seamless and easy.
Four months after meeting Ryanin person, gypsy called him and
asked about their relationship,and she told him she had
romantic feelings for him.
In January 2021, nick had askeda judge to set aside the
(45:27):
criminal case.
According to court records, herequested in post-conviction
relief filings by his attorney.
Producers from Lifetime's PrisonConventions with Gypsy
Blanchard spent 18 monthsinterviewing Gypsy on the phone
and in person at ChillicotheCorrectional Center.
(45:48):
Filming takes place on December8, 2021, less than 24 hours
before her parole hearing.
In her interview with theproducers, gypsy admitted that
when she first was arrested shehad a lack of remorse and it
wasn't even until a few yearslater that she began to miss her
(46:10):
mom and understand that she wasnot coming back.
The interviewer asked quote, doyou think she loved you?
End quote.
Gypsy replied quote, I thinkshe loved me in her own way.
I think when she had me sheloved me, and I think as a child
(46:31):
she loved me, but I don't thinkshe too much cared for whenever
I'd grow up.
End quote.
Gypsy was anxious and nervousbefore her parole hearing
because it was the only one thatshe would receive.
She told the interviewers thatever since she got to prison,
(46:51):
the end goal was to get paroled.
Gypsy said she regrets notstanding up for herself more.
There was a lot of emotionalabuse on top of the physical
abuse.
She said quote, I didn'tunderstand her reasonings, but I
trusted her.
She was my best friend and Iloved her and I never questioned
(47:13):
her as a child.
End quote.
According to Gypsy, didi feltlike her biggest failure was her
failed marriage with Rod, andDidi blamed Gypsy, saying she
wasn't the son he wanted.
Gypsy tells producers that whenshe got to prison she started
(47:34):
vaping, then she switched toreal cigarettes and then that
led her down a path of badchoices that she regrets.
When discussing the night ofthe murder, gypsy now says she
wished she had stopped it andthat Didi didn't have to die.
Gypsy started using drugs againin prison.
(47:55):
At one point she owed anotherinmate $50 for drugs and Gypsy
didn't have the money.
She called her stepmom,christie, and asked to borrow
the $50 to replace the stereoshe broke belonging to another
inmate.
Christie told the producersthat in their family when you
(48:15):
break or lose something that youborrowed from someone else, you
make it right and replace it.
So because of that, christiegave Gypsy the $50.
Gypsy started to feel guiltyabout lying to Christie and she
ended up telling her that shehad lied and what the money
truly was for.
Christie was upset but alsounderstanding.
(48:38):
Christie knew the life thatGypsy had lived with Didi, the
pain and the lying, and she toldGypsy she had forgiven her.
So, given Gypsy's upbringingwith Didi, she wasn't surprised
when Gypsy lied to her.
She said that since Gypsy cameforward about lying and
(48:59):
apologized, it was a step in theright direction.
Christie says that it'll takesome time, but Gypsy is on her
way to breaking the bad habitsinstilled in her and on the path
to making the right choices.
Christie's love and pain forGypsy can be seen and heard when
she's talking with theproducers.
(49:19):
You can tell that Christiereally cares for Gypsy as if she
is her own.
During the interviews, gypsystated that it was only after
Didi's death that she realizedthe extent of her mother's
deception.
According to MunchhausenBiproxy Syndrome expert Beatrice
(49:42):
Yorker, gypsy is the onlydocumented case where a victim
of Munchhausen Biproxy Syndromehas killed their perpetrator to
get out, she said quote.
That should tell all of us howdesperate Gypsy was to escape
her mother.
End quote.
Gypsy said she enjoyed morefreedom in prison than in her
(50:05):
life that she shared with Didi.
People wondered why Gypsy wentas far as to have Didi killed.
They figured that since shecould walk, she could get up out
of her wheelchair, disprovingDidi's claims that she was sick
and paralyzed, and expose herlies In regards to Gypsy's life
(50:26):
and actions.
Dr Mark Feldman, an expert onMunchhausen Biproxy Syndrome,
said quote the control was total, in the same sense that the
control of a kidnapped victimsometimes is total.
Her daughter was, in essence, ahostage and I think we can
understand the crime thatoccurred subsequently in terms
(50:50):
of a hostage trying to gainescape.
End quote.
Gypsy entered her parole hearingon December 9, 2021.
Her stepmom, christie, spoke onGypsy's behalf as a family
member, since her dad, rod,could not be at the parole
hearing due to his job.
(51:10):
When asked by the parole boardhow she feels about her
sentencing, she said quote thisis not a 10-year sentence.
This is something I have tolive with for the rest of my
life.
End quote.
The parole hearing lasted 45minutes.
Six days later, on December 15,2021, the parole board notified
(51:36):
Gypsy of their decision.
Gypsy would be granted parolefor her earliest release date of
December 28, 2023.
Five months after receiving thenews that she was granted parole
, ryan Anderson bought anengagement ring.
On the third visit, ryan saidhe snuck the ring into the
(52:01):
prison by putting it on hischain.
He took Gypsy's hand and poppedthe question Gypsy and Ryan
were going to get marriedsecretly, but a guard told them
quote you can't get married insecret.
You can't do that to your dad.
Gypsy end quote.
The two agreed and Gypsy calledChristie to tell her they
(52:24):
wanted to get married.
Christie was shocked and wantedher to wait.
The original plan was for Gypsyto get out of prison and move in
with Rod and Christie.
According to Gypsy, if she wereto get paroled, it had to be to
a family member.
Rod would have liked her towait, but he wanted her to be
(52:47):
happy, especially after all thatshe had been through.
Rod said quote it's just apiece of paper.
She can always get divorced.
They don't have any kids or anyassets.
I just want her to be happy.
End quote.
In the prison confessions ofGypsy Rose Blanchard, gypsy's
(53:08):
half-sister, mia, expressed thatshe wasn't too sure about her
sister getting married.
Quote she doesn't know whatit's like to live with a man and
I'm just worried it'll end indivorce.
I don't want to make her feellike I don't support her or that
she's still being controlled,but I never met him.
(53:29):
End quote.
Once she met Ryan, she saidtheir conversation had put her
at ease, but that didn't stopher from worrying about Gypsy
getting married so quickly.
Ryan helps raise his nephewwith his mom.
He said he plans to take careof Gypsy when she gets out and
(53:50):
that Gypsy has saved him as muchas he has saved her.
On July 21st 2022, gypsy RoseBlanchard and Ryan Anderson got
married at the prison.
Ryan is a sixth grade socialstudies teacher.
His previous teaching positionwas with a Christian
(54:13):
organization.
When they found out he was in arelationship with Gypsy, they
asked him to resign, statingthat their relationship was a
safety issue with the children.
It broke his heart because heloved the school and the kids,
but he's in a better place now.
(54:34):
In August 2022, nick's attorneyfiled an appeal for him asking
Green County Judge David Jonesto set aside his 2018 murder
conviction based on poorrepresentation.
An evidentiary hearing was setfor August 9th and it was
scheduled for two days.
(54:54):
In October 2022, three monthsafter the wedding, gypsy and
Ryan had fought about herex-boyfriend.
During the fight, gypsy calledRyan controlling and said that
he was like Dee Dee.
After the fight, gypsy saidthat she needed help and a
(55:17):
therapist, and that maybe heneeded one too.
So Ryan got himself a therapistand he got one for Gypsy as
well.
On March 1st 2023, judge Jonesdenied Nick's set aside or
correct judgment and sentence.
(55:38):
Nick is hoping for a new trialagain.
His latest public defender,tyler Coyle, appealed for a new
trial in December 2023.
His attorney claimed that Nickcould not understand what he did
due to his mental capacity.
They also argued that hispublic defenders didn't do
(55:58):
enough during his criminal trial.
Coyle said, quote Mr Gotajanwas alleging that the only
reason that he was found guiltyin his jury trial was because he
had ineffective assistance oftrial counsel.
End quote.
Earlier that month, coyle filedyet another appeal on Nick's
(56:21):
behalf.
He argued that his mental statedid not meet the requirements
for first degree murder.
The jury should have only foundhim guilty of second degree
murder.
Coyle said it will be up to apanel of three judges to decide
if Nick will get another day incourt.
Quote if he were to get a newtrial, then it would start over
(56:46):
and there wouldn't be anyfinding of first degree or
second degree.
It would just have to go backto a new trial.
End quote.
There is no timeframe in whicha decision could be made.
The court can take as long asnecessary to review his request.
(57:07):
On December 28, 2023, gypsy RoseBlanchard was released from the
Chillicothe Correctional Center.
Upon her release, gypsy saidshe hoped to meet Taylor Swift.
She told TMZ that Taylor Swiftinspired her throughout her life
.
A six-hour lifetime special thePrison Confessions of Gypsy
(57:32):
Rose Blanchard premiered onJanuary 5, 2024 and featured
interviews with Gypsy fromprison.
Her case was also the subjectof the 2019 Hulu mini-series,
the Act, starring PatriciaArquette as Dee Dee Blanchard.
In the lifetime special, theproducers gave Gypsy's former
(57:58):
pediatrician, dr Steele, thenever-before-seen medical
records of Gypsies.
When they asked Dr Steele ifthere was anything he could say
to Gypsy, what would it be?
He said very emotionally quoteI'm sorry, I failed you, I'm
(58:18):
really sorry.
End quote.
You could feel his pain,especially because he did try to
help Gypsy.
On January 9, 2024, gypsyreleased an e-book titled
Released, which included acollection of interview
transcripts and journal entriestelling her side of the story.
(58:41):
Her book was published throughPenguin Random House Publishing.
At this time, there's still noword on Nick's appeal for a new
trial, and that is the case ofDee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard
.
This case can tend to be onethat is considered controversial
(59:05):
because there are many peopleout there who believe that Gypsy
is not a victim and that she isthis cold, calculated,
manipulative person, and shedoes have those traits.
It is how she was brought up.
Some people don't see her as avictim, but sadly, her mother
(59:29):
put her through unnecessarymedical procedures.
That's abuse in and of itselfand it was while she was a child
and I feel bad for the child.
Gypsy has started to takeresponsibility for her actions
and her part in the murder ofDee Dee.
Some people believe that it'sfake and only time will tell.
(59:53):
When I watched the interviewthat she did in the prison
confessions of Gypsy RoseBlanchard, there was a lot of
pain that you could just senseand feel that she was going
through.
So I'd like to believe that shedoes have remorse and she does
(01:00:13):
feel the guilt and that she ison her way to a healthy
lifestyle, to a better life, andshe will get there with the
help of her husband and herfamily.
Rod and Christie and Mia areall very supportive of Gypsy and
(01:00:34):
doing what they can to help herhave the best life that she can
.
With that being said, I hope youall enjoyed the saga that was
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Dee DeeBlanchard.
Be sure to follow on Instagramat Crime Connors Source,
(01:00:54):
wherever you get your podcast.
All source material can befound in the show notes.
If you have a case suggestion,click the link in the bio in the
Instagram account and fill outthe form to let me know or shoot
me an email at CrimeConnorsSource at gmailcom, and be sure
(01:01:15):
to put case suggestion in thesubject line.
In the meantime, keep it classy, connors Source, and I'll catch
you on the next case.
Welcome back crime connoisseurs.
I'm your host, grace D.
Last week we covered some wildtwist and turns, and this week
it's just as wild.
I did not want to break thisepisode into another part, so it
is full warning about an hourlong.
There's just so muchinformation and detail in this
(00:23):
case that I did not want toleave anything out.
So, to recap, gypsy shot at DeeDee, but quickly found out that
the gun was actually a BB gun.
Afterward, gypsy joined anonline Christian dating site
where she met Nick Godajan.
The two quickly fell for eachother and kept their
relationship a secret for threeyears.
(00:44):
They finally met in person inMarch 2015.
They arranged for Nick to cometo Springfield to meet Gypsy and
Dee Dee at the movie theater tosee the new Cinderella movie,
hoping that if Dee Dee believedthat they had met for the first
time in person, dee Dee wouldallow the two to date and they
wouldn't have to be a secretanymore.
(01:04):
However, their plan did notwork and it only made Dee Dee
mad.
This was when Gypsy's finalplot to escape from Dee Dee's
abuse of control came to be.
After thinking of every optionto escape Dee Dee, each one
ended with Dee Dee being able tofind Gypsy and force her back
(01:25):
home.
All but one Gypsy asked Nick tokill Dee Dee.
The two went back and forth onways to carry out the murder
Poison, arson, a gun and thenthey finally settled on a knife.
Gypsy stole money from DeeDee's safe, mailed it to Nick in
a greeting card, and Nickbought a bus ticket from
(01:46):
Wisconsin to Springfield,missouri.
On June 9th 2015, nick arrivedin Springfield and a few hours
later Gypsy and Nick carried outtheir murder plot.
The two left Springfield twodays later and went to Nick's
home in Big Bend, wisconsin.
The guilt of Dee Dee's murderwas starting to get to Gypsy and
(02:08):
she made a post on their sharedFacebook account.
That got the attention ofFluked Ones, who alerted the
authorities of their concerns,and the police found Dee Dee's
body.
The FBI traced the IP addressfrom the post to Nick's home.
The Waukesha County police weredispatched to Nick's home,
where there was a bit of astandoff.
The two eventually surrenderedand were taken to the hospital.
(02:29):
The two eventually surrenderedand were taken into custody in
Waukesha County, wheredetectives interrogated them
before extraditing them toSpringfield, missouri, where
they were held on a $1 millionbond.
Buckle up Buttercups, becausewe're in for a wild ride.
This is the final part of theGypsy Rose Blanchard saga.
(03:28):
On June 29, 2015,.
Gypsy Blanchard made her firstcourt appearance.
During her arraignment, sheentered the Pat courtroom and
pleaded not guilty tofirst-degree murder and armed
criminal action in the stabbingdeath of her mother, claudine
Dee Dee Blanchard.
Gypsy's father, rod, was at thearraignment and saw his
(03:50):
daughter for the first time in12 years.
Rod and his wife, christie,hired a defense attorney for
Gypsy.
Rod Christie and attorney MikeStanfield all met for the first
time on July 15, 2015, at theBlanchard residence.
Mike said he wanted to see thecrime scene for himself as early
(04:14):
as possible and while in thehome, the three of them found a
stolen prescription pad from thehospital in the medicine
cabinet.
Gypsy was led into thecourtroom wearing a black and
white striped jail uniform.
She sat down and lookedstraightforward.
Throughout the arraignment shedid not speak other than
(04:36):
whispering a few words to herlawyer before being led out of
the courtroom.
Mike Stanfield told Judge RonCarrier that he wanted Gypsy's
case to be severed from Nick'scase.
Green County prosecutor DanPatterson argued this and said
he wanted Gypsy and Nick's casesto stay joined together.
(04:57):
Judge Carrier ruled to separatethe cases on July 20 at a
motion hearing.
Nick's attorney also filed amotion for a change of judge and
Judge Carrier agreed to that.
The state's case began with twoseparate witnesses from the
Green County Sheriff's Office totheir involvement in the
(05:20):
investigation into DD Slang.
A supervision sergeant with theGreen County Sheriff's Office,
jim Stanley, said he enteredinto the Blanchard's home only
to discover DD's body.
He sat at the witness stand andthe shuffling of crime scene
photos was the only noise in thecourtroom.
(05:40):
Gypsy rocked back and forth inher chair, staring straight
ahead.
The prosecutor showed a seriesof photos of the crime scene.
They asked the deputy todescribe the more gruesome ones.
Stanley then described aloud aseries of photos taken of DD's
body in a pool of black dryblood, the numerous stab wounds
(06:04):
to her body and a deep cuttingmark on the back of her neck.
Patterson asked Stanley if hehad checked DD for vital signs
upon fighting her.
Quote no respiration, no pulse,end quote.
Gypsy began crying softly.
Stanley finally said quote, shewas deceased.
(06:27):
End quote.
Gypsy began visibly shaking asshe sobbed.
Stanley also noted thediscovery of an envelope at
Nick's residence containing an11-inch knife and bloody blue
latex gloves In hiscross-examination of the witness
, mike Stanfield, noted thatvolunteer.
(06:50):
The name of the street whereGypsy has lived for years was
misspelled on the envelope.
Detective Stan Hancock, aCriminal Investigation
Division's detective, discussedthe content of a backpack and
suitcase found in Nick's home aswell as eight pages of Facebook
records.
Stanfield and Patterson arguedover the validity of the
(07:15):
Facebook records for some time,although they were eventually
accepted as evidence.
In his cross-examination,stanfield asked if Detective
Hancock had found any recordsspecifically showing Gypsy
asking Nick to kill her mother.
Detective Hancock stated he had, but did not want to say
(07:37):
anything without exact wording.
The last witness, michaelCostello, was a computer
forensic examiner for theSpringfield Police Department.
Patterson submitted a series oftext messages that Costello had
pulled from phones he believedbelonged to Gypsy and Nick.
Here are some of the messagesthat Patterson read aloud, which
(08:01):
he said were from Gypsy to Nick.
Quote I will text you.
We are doing this tonight.
Will you need an anxiety med tocalm you after?
You may not need to put on thegloves because we will sink it.
So it's never found.
End quote.
Here are several messages thatPatterson said were from Nick to
(08:27):
Gypsy.
Quote honey, you forget.
I am ruthless and my hatred forher will force her to die.
It's my evil side doing it.
He won't mess up, he enjoyskilling End quote.
Near the end of the hearing,patterson read a particular
(08:48):
message which he said was fromGypsy to Nick.
Quote we will be happy soonAfter this night.
We will never bring it up, endquote.
Stanfield did not cross-examineCostello and shortly after
Judge Ronald Carrier ruled therewas enough evidence to move the
(09:09):
case forward closer to a trial,an arraignment was set for July
31st.
On July 5th 2016, gypsy RoseBlanchard pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder for herpart in her mother's murder.
She agreed to a 10-year prisonsentence and admitted to her
(09:30):
role in planning of the killingof her mother, claudine Dee Dee
Blanchard.
In an interview with NewsLeader after the hearing, green
County prosecutor Dan Pattersonsaid he believed he could have
secured a first-degree murderconviction in this case, meaning
Gypsy would have spent the restof her life in prison, but he
(09:53):
did not believe that that wasfair.
Because of the abuse that Gypsysuffered at the hand of her
mother, he said he felt like 10years in prison.
The minimum sentence for asecond-degree murder conviction
was more appropriate.
Dan Patterson said quote whenyou look at this case, it's a
(10:14):
murder and it's a first-degreemurder, but it's also one of the
most extraordinary and unusualcases we have seen.
End quote.
Mike Stanfield, gypsy's attorney, said he was able to uncover
decades worth of abuse that DeeDee Blanchard inflicted on Gypsy
(10:35):
as part of an elaborate fraudscheme.
This was also covered duringLifetime's prison confessions
with Gypsy Blanchard, where herformer pediatrician was
presented with never-before-seenmedical records.
Mike Stanfield said quoteessentially Gypsy's mother was
(10:55):
holding her prisoner.
Her mother would not allow herto spend any time alone with any
other human being.
Her mother, when they went tothe doctor, did all the talking.
End quote.
When the judge asked Gypsy howfar she went in school during
the hearing, she said secondgrade.
(11:16):
Stanfield said he didn'tbelieve his client had any
formal schooling pastkindergarten.
Nick Godajan was still facing afirst-degree murder charge in
connection with the killing.
His trial was scheduled forNovember 2016.
Gypsy would have to serve eightand a half years behind bars
(11:39):
before she'd be eligible forparole.
Stanfield said Gypsy's healthhad proved in the year that she
had been in the Green Countyjail and not in her mother's
care.
He told Buzzfeed that Gypsy wasso malnourished that in her
first year of being in jail shegained 14 pounds, in contrast to
(12:01):
his other clients who lostweight.
In that situation For months,mike Stanfield traveled to
Louisiana to try to recoverGypsy's medical records, which
is how he was able to uncoverdecades worth of abuse.
After it came out how Diditreated Gypsy all those years,
(12:22):
sympathy for her as the victimof a violent murder quickly
shifted to Gypsy as a long-termvictim of child abuse.
In October 2016, nick waved hisright to a jury trial during a
hearing on charges offirst-degree murder and armed
criminal action.
Nick's trial was rescheduled toFebruary 6th through 8th 2017.
(12:48):
This was a push by his defenseattorney.
Nick's attorney wanted tointroduce evidence about his
mental capacity.
Part of that evidence was thatNick has been diagnosed in the
past with Asperger's syndrome, amild form of autism.
They also wanted to argue thatif Nick is guilty, he's guilty
(13:12):
of second-degree murder, notfirst-degree murder, because of
his mental capacity.
They argued that Nick doesn'thave the mental capacity for the
required elements under statelaw that are necessary for a
first-degree murder conviction,mainly whether he deliberated
before the murder.
The following month, on November30th, at a pretrial hearing,
(13:38):
green County Court Judge Holdenruled that a defense hired
psychologist could testify atthe trial of Nick Godajon.
The psychologist did two mentalevaluations of Nick at the
Green County Jail.
He said that Nick thought hewas doing the right thing when
he killed Didi because he wantedto rescue Gypsy from her mother
(14:02):
.
Didi and Gypsy's relativesbelieved Didi required Gypsy to
act as if she was sick andpretended to be younger than she
was so they could get sympathyand aid from charities and
social service agencies.
People who knew them thoughtGypsy couldn't walk and possibly
(14:22):
was fatally ill.
The psychologist said Nick ison the autism spectrum and
spends most of his time on theinternet and playing video games
.
He described him as more like achild than an adult.
Nick's IQ is 82 and hefunctions at the level of a 10
(14:44):
or 11 year old.
The psychologist's findingscould result in Nick being found
guilty of a lesser charge thanfirst-degree murder, which
requires someone to contemplatebefore killing another person.
Nicholas Godajon's trial startedon November 12th 2018 and
(15:05):
lasted four days.
Before the jury was broughtinto the courtroom, the
attorneys argued some pre-trialmotions before Judge David Jones
.
Nick's attorney, dwayne Perry,asked the judge to prevent the
jury from seeing parts of Nick'srecorded confession to
detectives where he said heconsidered raping Dee Dee before
(15:29):
killing her.
Perry argued that statement wasnot relevant because Nick did
not act on the rape idea.
Nathan Chapman, the assistantGreen County prosecutor, argued
that the statement should beused at the trial because it
shows premeditation, a necessarycomponent of first-degree
(15:52):
murder.
The judge allowed the evidenceto be shown at trial.
There was also discussion aboutother possible sexual evidence
that might come up at trial,like Nick and Gypsy having sex
in the home after the homicideand text messages exchanged
between the two.
(16:12):
The prosecution went through atimeline of events depicting
what happened before and afterDee Dee's murder.
They described the Facebookposts that suggested Dee Dee was
dead, how Gypsy had been raped,finding Dee Dee's body to
finding Gypsy and Nick inWisconsin at Nick's family home.
(16:33):
Prosecutor Chapman said heintended to prove Nick
deliberated several times beforekilling Dee Dee and should be
found guilty of first-degreemurder.
Chapman began by describingNick standing outside of Dee
Dee's bedroom door holding aknife and thinking about his
(16:53):
actions before killing.
Chapman told the jury quote theonly thing that stood between
him being with Gypsy wasClaudine.
End quote.
He then described severalincidences where he believed
Nick deliberated before themurder, like when Nick was
standing outside the bedroomdoor, when he took the long bus
(17:17):
ride to Springfield and even ayear prior when Gypsy first
brought up the idea of killingher mother.
Chapman talked about Nick'sconfession of stabbing Dee Dee
in the back and neck, he andGypsy having sex, mailing the
knife to his house and taking aGreyhound bus back to Wisconsin.
(17:39):
Andrew Mead, one of the publicdefenders representing Nick,
made his opening statement tothe jury.
Mead painted Nick as anautistic man with few friends
who only had one real job in hislife, holding a sign outside of
a pizza shop and spending mostof his time on the internet.
Mead said quote that was hisoutlet to the world end.
(18:04):
Quote.
He told the jury how Nick metGypsy online in October 2012 and
fell madly in love.
He then described the abusethat Gypsy suffered at the hands
of her mother, which includedDee Dee forcing her daughter to
pretend she was disabled andundergo unnecessary medical
(18:26):
procedures.
Mead said it was Gypsy whoformulated the plan for the
killing to escape her mother.
He said Gypsy arranged for Nickto come down to Springfield and
stole the murder weapon.
Quote.
Nick was happy to do whateverGypsy wanted.
He was always compliant.
Mead said the defense plannedto show that Nick wasn't able to
(18:52):
formulate the necessary mentalstate to commit first-degree
murder because of his autism.
He said the defense was notdisputing that Nick killed Dee
Dee, but that they do notbelieve first-degree murder is
the appropriate charge.
Current and former Green CountySheriff's Office deputies were
(19:13):
the first two witnesses to takethe stand.
First, Deputy Mike Robertsontestified about going to the
Blanchard House on Volunteer Wayin June 2015 to check the
well-being of Dee Dee and Gypsy.
At that time, neighbors had notseen the pair for days and
(19:34):
there was an unsettling post ontheir joint Facebook page.
Robertson said he did not seeany signs of forced entry.
Next up was Jim Stanley, aformer sergeant in the Sheriff's
Office in 2015.
Stanley testified aboutobtaining a search warrant for
(19:54):
the home and going inside tofind Dee Dee's body, as well as
a wipe paper, towels and bloodevidence.
Photos shown by prosecutorsshowed the Blanchard House was
cluttered with papers and boxesthroughout the home.
Tom Vandenberg with the GreenCounty Medical Examiner's Office
(20:15):
was the third witness called tothe stand.
Dr Vandenberg testified that hewent to the Blanchard Home on
Volunteer Way in June 2015 toexamine Dee Dee's body.
Dr Vandenberg said Dee Dee wasfound face down on a bloody
mattress in the home.
She had a parent stab wounds onher back and the back of her
(20:41):
head.
There were 17 total stab woundsand two large cuts.
The two wounds pierced her bodycavity, including her lungs,
diaphragm, heart and liver.
According to Dr Vandenberg, deeDee had been dead for at least
24 to 36 hours.
(21:02):
Before authorities found herJours were given folders of
photographs that showed DeeDee's injuries.
However, those photographs werenot shown to the courtroom
audience.
The cause of death wasdetermined to be stab wounds.
I was able to get access toview the photos and I will link
(21:26):
them in the source material inthe show notes.
Due to their graphic nature, Iwill not post them on the
Instagram account.
Up next, two cab driverstestified about rides they
provided early in the morninghours of June 10, 2015 to and
from the home where Gypsy andDee Dee Blanchard lived.
(21:49):
Sherry Messer said she pickedup a white male at the Days Inn
Hotel on North Glenstone Avenueat 1.57 am.
Messer testified quote I'm verytalkative with my passengers,
especially people that I pick upat an airport or a hotel.
End quote.
(22:10):
She recalled that the man saidhe was from Wisconsin and he
spoke with an accent, though shedidn't know what kind of accent
.
Messer said quote.
He said he was here to meet hisgirlfriend end quote.
She said she pulled up to thehouse on Volunteer Way about 10
(22:31):
minutes later and parked on thestreet.
According to Messer, the manasked her to wait for a few
seconds as he was on the phonetexting his girlfriend to see
what door she wanted him to useand then he got out quote.
He didn't go to the front door,he went to the rear of the home
(22:52):
end quote.
The other cab driver, JohnHarmon, testified that he picked
up two people in his cab a fewhours later, shortly before 6 am
.
Harmon said there was a manwearing blue jeans and a white
t-shirt and a woman wearing askirt quote.
(23:13):
It looked like possibly she hada wig on end quote.
He said it was a quiet ride tothe Days Inn Hotel.
He dropped them off at 5.55 amand the woman paid him.
Detective Mahoney testifiedabout her interrogation with
Nick.
She told the court about herinteraction with him, saying
(23:37):
quote.
He was pleasant, he had ablanket, he was handcuffed, he
was kind.
End quote.
Then the prosecution played avideo lasting about 90 minutes
showing Mahoney's interrogationof Nick, according to Facebook
messages shown at trial morethan a year before DeeDee was
(24:00):
stabbed to death, detectiveJoseph Fletcher, with the Green
County Sheriff's Office,testified about investigating
Nick's Facebook account.
Some of the messages reviewedby Fletcher were shown on a TV
screen for jurors.
The messages from May 2014showed Nick had planned, with
(24:26):
Gypsy, to kill DeeDee Blanchard.
At one point, nick messaged hisfriend asking quote how crazy
do you think Gypsy is?
End quote.
On the second day of trial,detective Jody Krop, with the
Waukesha County Sheriff'sDepartment, took the stand.
(24:46):
Detective Krop led a search ofNick Godajohn's home in Big Bend
, wisconsin, in the days afterDeeDee was found dead in
Springfield, missouri.
With Detective Krop on thestand.
The state showed photographsdocumenting items seized during
the search of his home,including a cell phone, a
(25:08):
computer tower, a black wig anda baggie filled with cash.
The detective also seized someclothing, such as a hoodie,
shoes and a t-shirt featuringcreepy clowns that all had
suspected blood on them.
The next witness was nowretired Waukesha County
(25:29):
Sheriff's Department DetectiveAlan Voss.
The state used Voss to admitinto evidence many of the items
seized during the search ofNick's home in Big Bend,
wisconsin.
The defense objected whenprosecutors tried to admit a
computer tower into evidence.
The attorneys briefly entered aside room before the judge
(25:51):
allowed the item into evidence.
Prosecutors also admitted intoevidence an envelope seized from
the house.
Prosecutors have said thedefendants mailed the murder
weapon from Springfield to thehome in Wisconsin after the
homicide.
The envelope was not opened inthe courtroom.
(26:16):
The third witness of the day wasLieutenant Stan Hancock with
the Green County Sheriff'sOffice.
He was the lead investigator inthe case.
With Hancock on the stand, theprosecutors played surveillance
video of Nick and Gypsy togetherat the Days Inn Hotel and the
Greyhound bus station on June 11, 2015 and June 12, 2015.
(26:44):
Prosecutors believed the coupletried to get on a bus from
Springfield to Wisconsin on June11 after killing Dee Dee, but
had to stay an extra nightbefore leaving on June 12.
Nick was the one who handed themoney to the clerks at the
hotel and the bus station.
Lieutenant Hancock alsotestified about opening an
(27:06):
envelope found at Nick's home inWisconsin and finding a knife
and gloves.
The knife, which is suspectedto be the murder weapon, was
presented to the jury.
After Hancock's testimony, thecourt took a break for lunch.
When the trial resumed, a DNAanalysis expert took the stand.
(27:29):
Aaron Exner testified that heworked in the Missouri State
Highway Patrol's crime lab,exner, explained to the jury
what DNA is and how DNA samplesare compared.
Exner testified that a bloodsmeared paper towel roll found
in the Blanchard's home had DNAthat almost certainly came from
(27:53):
Nicholas Gotajon.
Exner said that he also testeda serrated knife that had DNA
from Nick Gotajon, dee DeeBlanchard and Gypsy Blanchard.
Michael Costello, the computerforensic analyst with the
Springfield Police Department,also took the stand.
(28:13):
But before Costello took thestand, the judge warned the jury
this testimony could take along time.
Nick's attorney objected toCostello's testimony.
Costello said he assisted inthe investigation into Dee Dee's
death by examining twocomputers and a phone owned by
(28:36):
Nick.
The examinations showed Nicksearched for bondage equipment,
knives, handcuffs and more.
The judge allowed Costello'stestimony to be given.
Michael Costello read aloudhundreds of text messages sent
between Gypsy Blanchard and NickGotajon in May and June.
(28:59):
For the most part, the textmessages were about love, sex
and planning a life together inrural Wisconsin, but as June 10,
2015 approached, the textingturned to topics of knives and
duct tape.
The day before the killing,nick texted Gypsy that his evil
(29:20):
side would need duct tape.
Nick and Gypsy often referredto each other's sinister alter
egos in the texts.
Nick was Victor, the500-year-old vampire, or his
evil side, and Gypsies was Ruby.
Nick said his evil side enjoyskilling.
(29:42):
He asked Gypsy whether her momwas a light sleeper and if her
bedroom floors squeaked.
Some of the text and the daysand weeks earlier were ordinary,
while others were sexual,including a long string of
messages about bondage.
Gypsy asked Nick if he wouldgive her her first orgasm and if
(30:06):
he would finger her on the busride.
She texted him.
Quote you make my girly partstingle.
End quote.
Nick sat silently as the textwere read, squinting at the TV
screen.
On the third day of trial, theattorneys and Judge Jones spent
(30:26):
a good part of the morning inthe side room.
When they were finished, thejury was brought into the
courtroom at about 10.28 am andthe defense called Gypsy Rose
Blanchard as its first witness.
Gypsy testified that her motherwould not allow her to date.
Quote she controlled everyaspect of my life.
(30:48):
End quote.
Gypsy said her mother forced herto use a wheelchair even though
she didn't need one.
That started what she was abouteight years old.
Gypsy said her mother told hershe had cancer, muscular
dystrophy, seizure disorder andother ailments.
(31:10):
She said she began realizingthat she was healthy at around
age 19.
Gypsy said Didi did this forattention and financial benefit.
Gypsy testified she tried torun away from her mother in the
spring of 2011, but Didi caughther in about four hours, she
(31:33):
said.
As a punishment, didi chainedher to the bed, hit her, punched
her and starved her.
Gypsy said she came up with theidea of killing her mom.
Quote I wanted to be free ofher.
Hold on me end quote.
Gypsy admitted how she convincedNick to help her kill her
(31:55):
mother, stating quote I talkedhim into it end quote.
She said she felt like it wasnecessary because she did not
think anyone would believe herif she reported her mother's
abuse to the police.
Gypsy said her mother had legaldocumentation that would show
she was incompetent.
(32:15):
She said she paid for Nick tocome to Springfield, stole the
knife from Walmart and providedhim with the gloves before the
murder.
She also said it was her ideato mail the knife back to
Wisconsin after the killing.
Gypsy said she never consideredthat the police would find her
(32:38):
after they executed their planand she intended to live the
rest of her life in Wisconsinwith Nick.
During cross examination.
Gypsy said, during their roleplaying, that she was the slave
and Nick was the master.
She testified that Nick wouldsend her scripts to read when
(33:00):
they made videos.
She also said it was Nick whochose stabbing as the method to
kill Didi.
Gypsy said she sent Nick apicture of the knife before the
murder and he approved of theweapon.
She testified that Nick came upwith a plan of what to tell
authorities if they were caughtafter the murder.
(33:22):
The plan was to say that Gypsyhad been kicked out of her house
by Didi and had called him topick her up.
After Gypsy answered the lastquestions from the attorneys,
the attorneys went into a sideroom with the judge to make a
record.
Nick and Gypsy Blanchard satsilently in the courtroom as the
(33:45):
attorneys were away.
After Gypsy's testimony, thecourt broke for lunch.
After the break, judge DavidJones ruled against a defense
motion regarding juryinstructions.
The first witness of theafternoon session was Dr Kent
(34:07):
Franks, a Springfieldpsychologist, who evaluated Nick
twice, once in December 2015and again about seven months
later.
Dr Kent Franks testified thatNick has an IQ of 82, which he
said is low average.
(34:27):
Dr Franks said Nick struggleswith his memory and processing
speed.
He said he diagnosed Nick withautism spectrum disorder.
Dr Franks also discussed Nick'supbringing.
He said Nick went throughschool in special education
classes and spent a lot of timealone as a child, living with
(34:51):
his single mother.
Nick had one close friend, onegirlfriend and one job holding a
sign outside of the pizza shopfor about 13 months before
meeting Gypsy.
Dr Franks said quote he doesn'thave any work skills.
End quote, adding that Nick wason disability.
(35:14):
He said Nick also struggleswith personal hygiene, often
forgetting to shower or brushhis teeth.
Dr Franks said it would bedifficult for Nick to deliberate
because of his autism spectrumdisorder.
Deliberation is a necessarycomponent of first degree murder
(35:35):
, which is the charge that Nickis facing.
During cross examination,prosecutor Patterson questioned
Dr Franks about other messageson Nick's Facebook account.
Patterson asked Dr Franks if hehad ever reviewed sexting
Facebook messages that Nick hadsent to another woman in 2014
(36:00):
when he and Gypsy were boyfriendand girlfriend.
Dr Franks answered that he didnot.
Dr Franks was excused and whilethe jury was out of the
courtroom, nick told Judge Joneshe would not testify in his own
defense during the guilt phaseof his trial.
With that, the defense restedand prosecutors called Dr Robert
(36:26):
Denny, a clinical psychologist,as a rebuttal witness.
Dr Denny said he examined Nickand diagnosed him with autism
spectrum disorder level 1.
That is a less severe versionof autism spectrum disorder than
what Dr Kent Franks diagnosedhim with.
(36:47):
After this it was nearly 5.30pmand the judge ended trial for
the day.
The next day, the final day oftrial, dr Denny returned to the
stand for cross-examination byNick's defense team.
Upon being questioned byAttorney Dwayne Perry, dr Denny
(37:08):
reviewed the trivial details ofpsychological tests, nick's
scores on these tests and whatthese different tests mean.
Dr Denny said Nick scored belowaverage on these tests.
After the defense'scross-examination, prosecutors
said they had no more rebuttalevidence.
(37:28):
The lawyers then went over thejury instructions.
The trial was recessed untilabout 12.15pm.
Jury instructions were readaloud and then closing arguments
were made.
Nick's attorney, dwayne Perry,filed a motion for judgment of
(37:48):
acquittal a standard procedureat the end of a criminal trial
and Judge David Jones denied themotion.
Great Green County prosecutorNathan Chapman went first in his
closing arguments he told thejury that he believed
first-degree murder was theappropriate conviction because
(38:09):
Nicholas Gotajohn had thoughtabout killing DeeDee more than
one year before.
Chapman said that even thoughthe murder was Gypsy's idea,
nick is still responsible forhis actions.
Chapman said quote.
Yes, he was asked to do it, buthe took it from there.
End quote.
(38:30):
Chapman said Nick was nottricked into killing DeeDee.
He asked the jurors not to letDeeDee's abuse that she
inflicted on Gypsy affect theirdecision-making, saying, quote
all that matters is what thedefendant did on June 10, 2015,.
(38:51):
End quote.
Chapman continued quote DeeDeeBlanchard deserved to be held
accountable in a court of lawfor her abuse of her daughter,
not as she was sleeping in themiddle of the night.
End quote.
Nick's attorney, dwayne Perry,went next in closing arguments.
(39:12):
He asked the jury to find Nicknot guilty of first-degree
murder and consider a lessercharge.
Perry described Nick as alow-functioning person with
autism and capable of truedeliberation.
He said Nick was manipulatedinto committing the homicide by
Gypsy.
(39:32):
Quote she talked him into doingit.
End quote.
Perry said Nick thought ofhimself as Gypsy's rescuer.
Quote Nick was so in love withher and so obsessed with her
that he would do anything, andGypsy knew that.
End quote.
(39:56):
Green County prosecutor DanPatterson was the last to give
his closing arguments.
Patterson said that Nick'smotive to kill DeeDee wasn't to
rescue her daughter.
He said Nick was motivated bybeing with Gypsy and having sex
with her, which he did after themurder.
(40:18):
Patterson also pointed toevidence that he said shows
deliberation, like text messagesasking whether DeeDee was a
light sleeper, and an interviewthat Nick did with a journalist
where he said he waited for aminute outside of the bedroom
door thinking about whether tocommit the homicide.
(40:39):
Quote you know that he did it.
You know that he coollydeliberated.
End quote.
Patterson asked for a firstdegree murder conviction.
The jury also had the option ofsecond degree murder and
involuntary manslaughter.
(41:00):
The jury began deliberating at2.12 pm.
After two hours and 10 minutes,judge David Jones announced
that the jury had reached averdict.
On November 16, 2018, the juryfound Nicholas Godajon guilty of
(41:23):
first degree murder and armedcriminal action.
In an interview with Dr Phil inNovember 2017, dr Phil asked
Gypsy if she was glad thatDeeDee was dead.
She replied quote I'm glad thatI'm out of that situation, but
(41:43):
I am not happy she is dead.
End quote.
On February 22, 2019, nick wassentenced to life in prison
without parole and a 25 yearsentence for armed criminal
action.
Before his sentence was read,nick was given an opportunity to
(42:04):
speak to the courtroom.
He said all he ever wanted wasto be with Gypsy and that he'd
never known true love orrelationship with any woman.
He said quote it's missing.
It's always been a missing link.
That's the reason.
That's, I guess, when I got sodeep into this situation, I fell
(42:29):
in love so deeply.
End quote.
Nick said he believes in thesaying that love is blind.
Saying quote I admit it, I wasblind in love.
End quote.
In April 2019, people Magazinereported that Gypsy was engaged.
(42:50):
The magazine reported that shehad yet to reveal her fiance's
name.
They became friends after hebegan writing to her in the
Chilokothi prison.
By this time, gypsy was 27years old.
Also that month, the push torelease Gypsy early from prison
started.
(43:10):
At the time, more than 96,000people had signed an online
petition to release Gypsy.
Gypsy met Ken, her fiance, in2017.
Once after she was sentenced toserve 10 years in prison for
her involvement in Dee Dee'smurder, he wrote to her at
(43:34):
Chilokothi Correctional Centerin Missouri shortly after he saw
HBO's documentary about hercase.
Mommy, dead and Dearest.
Gypsy said quote I thought hesounded like a cool guy so I
wrote him back.
We became pen pals and startedtalking on the phone.
He was easy to talk to and wehad so much in common.
(43:57):
End quote.
Ken proposed to Gypsy during avisit to the prison in 2018.
They planned to marry in January2020, but the engagement was
called off four months beforeexchanging vows.
Gypsy and Ken briefly reunited,but their wedding was still
(44:18):
postponed.
The couple then called it quitsagain.
With over 250 men who hadwritten to her while in prison,
one letter stuck out because ofits humor, so she wrote back to
the person.
That person was Ryan Anderson,a special education teacher in
(44:40):
Louisiana.
By May 2020, the two had becomepen pals, writing back and
forth and eventually falling inlove.
Ryan visited Gypsy in theChillicothe Correctional Center
because it was important for himto meet her in person.
The two sat and talked for fourhours on that first visit.
(45:03):
Gypsy said the connectionbetween the two of them was so
seamless and easy.
Four months after meeting Ryanin person, gypsy called him and
asked about their relationship,and she told him she had
romantic feelings for him.
In January 2021, nick had askeda judge to set aside the
(45:27):
criminal case.
According to court records, herequested in post-conviction
relief filings by his attorney.
Producers from Lifetime's PrisonConventions with Gypsy
Blanchard spent 18 monthsinterviewing Gypsy on the phone
and in person at ChillicotheCorrectional Center.
(45:48):
Filming takes place on December8, 2021, less than 24 hours
before her parole hearing.
In her interview with theproducers, gypsy admitted that
when she first was arrested shehad a lack of remorse and it
wasn't even until a few yearslater that she began to miss her
(46:10):
mom and understand that she wasnot coming back.
The interviewer asked quote, doyou think she loved you?
End quote.
Gypsy replied quote, I thinkshe loved me in her own way.
I think when she had me sheloved me, and I think as a child
(46:31):
she loved me, but I don't thinkshe too much cared for whenever
I'd grow up.
End quote.
Gypsy was anxious and nervousbefore her parole hearing
because it was the only one thatshe would receive.
She told the interviewers thatever since she got to prison,
(46:51):
the end goal was to get paroled.
Gypsy said she regrets notstanding up for herself more.
There was a lot of emotionalabuse on top of the physical
abuse.
She said quote, I didn'tunderstand her reasonings, but I
trusted her.
She was my best friend and Iloved her and I never questioned
(47:13):
her as a child.
End quote.
According to Gypsy, didi feltlike her biggest failure was her
failed marriage with Rod, andDidi blamed Gypsy, saying she
wasn't the son he wanted.
Gypsy tells producers that whenshe got to prison she started
(47:34):
vaping, then she switched toreal cigarettes and then that
led her down a path of badchoices that she regrets.
When discussing the night ofthe murder, gypsy now says she
wished she had stopped it andthat Didi didn't have to die.
Gypsy started using drugs againin prison.
(47:55):
At one point she owed anotherinmate $50 for drugs and Gypsy
didn't have the money.
She called her stepmom,christie, and asked to borrow
the $50 to replace the stereoshe broke belonging to another
inmate.
Christie told the producersthat in their family when you
(48:15):
break or lose something that youborrowed from someone else, you
make it right and replace it.
So because of that, christiegave Gypsy the $50.
Gypsy started to feel guiltyabout lying to Christie and she
ended up telling her that shehad lied and what the money
truly was for.
Christie was upset but alsounderstanding.
(48:38):
Christie knew the life thatGypsy had lived with Didi, the
pain and the lying, and she toldGypsy she had forgiven her.
So, given Gypsy's upbringingwith Didi, she wasn't surprised
when Gypsy lied to her.
She said that since Gypsy cameforward about lying and
(48:59):
apologized, it was a step in theright direction.
Christie says that it'll takesome time, but Gypsy is on her
way to breaking the bad habitsinstilled in her and on the path
to making the right choices.
Christie's love and pain forGypsy can be seen and heard when
she's talking with theproducers.
(49:19):
You can tell that Christiereally cares for Gypsy as if she
is her own.
During the interviews, gypsystated that it was only after
Didi's death that she realizedthe extent of her mother's
deception.
According to MunchhausenBiproxy Syndrome expert Beatrice
(49:42):
Yorker, gypsy is the onlydocumented case where a victim
of Munchhausen Biproxy Syndromehas killed their perpetrator to
get out, she said quote.
That should tell all of us howdesperate Gypsy was to escape
her mother.
End quote.
Gypsy said she enjoyed morefreedom in prison than in her
(50:05):
life that she shared with Didi.
People wondered why Gypsy wentas far as to have Didi killed.
They figured that since shecould walk, she could get up out
of her wheelchair, disprovingDidi's claims that she was sick
and paralyzed, and expose herlies In regards to Gypsy's life
(50:26):
and actions.
Dr Mark Feldman, an expert onMunchhausen Biproxy Syndrome,
said quote the control was total, in the same sense that the
control of a kidnapped victimsometimes is total.
Her daughter was, in essence, ahostage and I think we can
understand the crime thatoccurred subsequently in terms
(50:50):
of a hostage trying to gainescape.
End quote.
Gypsy entered her parole hearingon December 9, 2021.
Her stepmom, christie, spoke onGypsy's behalf as a family
member, since her dad, rod,could not be at the parole
hearing due to his job.
(51:10):
When asked by the parole boardhow she feels about her
sentencing, she said quote thisis not a 10-year sentence.
This is something I have tolive with for the rest of my
life.
End quote.
The parole hearing lasted 45minutes.
Six days later, on December 15,2021, the parole board notified
(51:36):
Gypsy of their decision.
Gypsy would be granted parolefor her earliest release date of
December 28, 2023.
Five months after receiving thenews that she was granted parole
, ryan Anderson bought anengagement ring.
On the third visit, ryan saidhe snuck the ring into the
(52:01):
prison by putting it on hischain.
He took Gypsy's hand and poppedthe question Gypsy and Ryan
were going to get marriedsecretly, but a guard told them
quote you can't get married insecret.
You can't do that to your dad.
Gypsy end quote.
The two agreed and Gypsy calledChristie to tell her they
(52:24):
wanted to get married.
Christie was shocked and wantedher to wait.
The original plan was for Gypsyto get out of prison and move in
with Rod and Christie.
According to Gypsy, if she wereto get paroled, it had to be to
a family member.
Rod would have liked her towait, but he wanted her to be
(52:47):
happy, especially after all thatshe had been through.
Rod said quote it's just apiece of paper.
She can always get divorced.
They don't have any kids or anyassets.
I just want her to be happy.
End quote.
In the prison confessions ofGypsy Rose Blanchard, gypsy's
(53:08):
half-sister, mia, expressed thatshe wasn't too sure about her
sister getting married.
Quote she doesn't know whatit's like to live with a man and
I'm just worried it'll end indivorce.
I don't want to make her feellike I don't support her or that
she's still being controlled,but I never met him.
(53:29):
End quote.
Once she met Ryan, she saidtheir conversation had put her
at ease, but that didn't stopher from worrying about Gypsy
getting married so quickly.
Ryan helps raise his nephewwith his mom.
He said he plans to take careof Gypsy when she gets out and
(53:50):
that Gypsy has saved him as muchas he has saved her.
On July 21st 2022, gypsy RoseBlanchard and Ryan Anderson got
married at the prison.
Ryan is a sixth grade socialstudies teacher.
His previous teaching positionwas with a Christian
(54:13):
organization.
When they found out he was in arelationship with Gypsy, they
asked him to resign, statingthat their relationship was a
safety issue with the children.
It broke his heart because heloved the school and the kids,
but he's in a better place now.
(54:34):
In August 2022, nick's attorneyfiled an appeal for him asking
Green County Judge David Jonesto set aside his 2018 murder
conviction based on poorrepresentation.
An evidentiary hearing was setfor August 9th and it was
scheduled for two days.
(54:54):
In October 2022, three monthsafter the wedding, gypsy and
Ryan had fought about herex-boyfriend.
During the fight, gypsy calledRyan controlling and said that
he was like Dee Dee.
After the fight, gypsy saidthat she needed help and a
(55:17):
therapist, and that maybe heneeded one too.
So Ryan got himself a therapistand he got one for Gypsy as
well.
On March 1st 2023, judge Jonesdenied Nick's set aside or
correct judgment and sentence.
(55:38):
Nick is hoping for a new trialagain.
His latest public defender,tyler Coyle, appealed for a new
trial in December 2023.
His attorney claimed that Nickcould not understand what he did
due to his mental capacity.
They also argued that hispublic defenders didn't do
(55:58):
enough during his criminal trial.
Coyle said, quote Mr Gotajanwas alleging that the only
reason that he was found guiltyin his jury trial was because he
had ineffective assistance oftrial counsel.
End quote.
Earlier that month, coyle filedyet another appeal on Nick's
(56:21):
behalf.
He argued that his mental statedid not meet the requirements
for first degree murder.
The jury should have only foundhim guilty of second degree
murder.
Coyle said it will be up to apanel of three judges to decide
if Nick will get another day incourt.
Quote if he were to get a newtrial, then it would start over
(56:46):
and there wouldn't be anyfinding of first degree or
second degree.
It would just have to go backto a new trial.
End quote.
There is no timeframe in whicha decision could be made.
The court can take as long asnecessary to review his request.
(57:07):
On December 28, 2023, gypsy RoseBlanchard was released from the
Chillicothe Correctional Center.
Upon her release, gypsy saidshe hoped to meet Taylor Swift.
She told TMZ that Taylor Swiftinspired her throughout her life
.
A six-hour lifetime special thePrison Confessions of Gypsy
(57:32):
Rose Blanchard premiered onJanuary 5, 2024 and featured
interviews with Gypsy fromprison.
Her case was also the subjectof the 2019 Hulu mini-series,
the Act, starring PatriciaArquette as Dee Dee Blanchard.
In the lifetime special, theproducers gave Gypsy's former
(57:58):
pediatrician, dr Steele, thenever-before-seen medical
records of Gypsies.
When they asked Dr Steele ifthere was anything he could say
to Gypsy, what would it be?
He said very emotionally quoteI'm sorry, I failed you, I'm
(58:18):
really sorry.
End quote.
You could feel his pain,especially because he did try to
help Gypsy.
On January 9, 2024, gypsyreleased an e-book titled
Released, which included acollection of interview
transcripts and journal entriestelling her side of the story.
(58:41):
Her book was published throughPenguin Random House Publishing.
At this time, there's still noword on Nick's appeal for a new
trial, and that is the case ofDee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard
.
This case can tend to be onethat is considered controversial
(59:05):
because there are many peopleout there who believe that Gypsy
is not a victim and that she isthis cold, calculated,
manipulative person, and shedoes have those traits.
It is how she was brought up.
Some people don't see her as avictim, but sadly, her mother
(59:29):
put her through unnecessarymedical procedures.
That's abuse in and of itselfand it was while she was a child
and I feel bad for the child.
Gypsy has started to takeresponsibility for her actions
and her part in the murder ofDee Dee.
Some people believe that it'sfake and only time will tell.
(59:53):
When I watched the interviewthat she did in the prison
confessions of Gypsy RoseBlanchard, there was a lot of
pain that you could just senseand feel that she was going
through.
So I'd like to believe that shedoes have remorse and she does
(01:00:13):
feel the guilt and that she ison her way to a healthy
lifestyle, to a better life, andshe will get there with the
help of her husband and herfamily.
Rod and Christie and Mia areall very supportive of Gypsy and
(01:00:34):
doing what they can to help herhave the best life that she can
.
With that being said, I hope youall enjoyed the saga that was
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Dee DeeBlanchard.
Be sure to follow on Instagramat Crime Connors Source,
(01:00:54):
wherever you get your podcast.
All source material can befound in the show notes.
If you have a case suggestion,click the link in the bio in the
Instagram account and fill outthe form to let me know or shoot
me an email at CrimeConnorsSource at gmailcom, and be sure
(01:01:15):
to put case suggestion in thesubject line.
In the meantime, keep it classy, connors Source, and I'll catch
you on the next case.
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