Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was convicted of the murder of her abusive mother, is expected to be released from prison early.
The Missouri Department of Corrections confirmed Thursday that Gypsy Rose Blanchard, 32, will be released from a Missouri prison on Dec. 28, 2023, three years earlier than her original release date, the Springfield News-Leader reports.
In July 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to her part in the murder of her mother Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard.
“From my perspective, she was the mastermind behind the murder of her mother,” Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott told Ozarks First.
Her then-boyfriend Nick Godejohn, 32, was charged with first-degree murder for stabbing “Dee Dee” Blanchard to death and was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree murder without the possibility of parole, according to the People.
Following the couple’s arrest, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was discovered to be a victim of Munchausen by proxy syndrome, a form of child abuse where “the caretaker of a child, most often a mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick,” according to Medline Plus.
“Dee Dee” Blanchard fabricated her daughter’s illnesses, claiming she was terminally ill “with the mind of a 7-year-old.” She also convinced others Gypsy Rose Blanchard was plagued with leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and other medical conditions, per People.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard claimed her mother would bar her from speaking during doctor visits and threatened her if she ever attempted to escape. She told her daughter her story wouldn’t be believed by the police.
In her exclusive prison interview with Dr. Phil McGraw in 2017, she expressed her “complicated feelings” regarding her prison sentencing.
“I believe firmly that, no matter what, murder is not OK,” she told McGraw.
She later added, “I do believe that I do deserve to spend some time in prison for that crime. But I also understand why it happened, and I don’t believe that I’m in the right place to get the help that I need.”
When asked by McGraw whether she was “glad” her mother was dead, Gypsy Rose Blanchard responded, “No sir, I’m glad I’m out of that situation, but I’m not happy she’s dead.”