Murder: True Crime Stories - SOLVED: Gypsy Rose 2

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

By 2015, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was desperate to escape her mother’s control. With the help of her boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn, she hatched a plan that ended in murder. In part two, we examine the killing of Dee Dee Blanchard, the shocking trial that followed, and how Munchausen by proxy abuse turned a victim into one of the most infamous figures in true crime. Murder: True Crime Stories is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. For ad-free listening and early access to episodes, subscribe to Crime House+ on Apple Podcasts. Don’t miss out on all things Murder: True Crime Stories! Instagram: @Crimehouse TikTok: @Crimehouse Facebook: @crimehousestudios X: @crimehousemedia YouTube: @crimehousestudios To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Crime House has the perfect news show for Spooky Season. Twisted Tales hosted by Heidi Wong. Each episode of Twisted Tales is perfect for late-night scares and daytime frights, revealing the disturbing real-life events that inspired the world's most terrifying blockbusters. And the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Twisted Tales is a crimehouse original powered by Pave Studios. Listen wherever you. you get your podcasts. New episodes out every Monday.

This is Crime House. We've all heard the saying, looks can be deceiving. And no one was a better example of that than D.D. and Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The mother-daughter duo had weathered countless storms, from Hurricane Katrina, to Gypsy's many illnesses. Through it all, their smiles never wavered. Anyone who met them would tell you they were the sweetest people ever. Their house really completed the picture. Built just for them, it had everything they could need.

A ramp and extra wide doors for a gypsy's wheelchair, lower light switches that Gypsy could reach her, and a jacuzzi bathtub to bring Gypsy more comfort. It was even bubblegum pink, Gypsy's favorite color, making it a real-life Barbie dream house. But no one imagined the horrors that went on inside. The truth was, Gypsy was living a nightmare. And by 2015, she couldn't bear it any longer. What happened next shocked the world and made people realize

Gypsy wasn't as helpless as she looked. People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end, but you don't always know which part you're on. sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon and we don't always get to know the real ending i'm carter roy and this is murder true crime stories a crime house original powered by paved studios that releases every tuesday and thursday at crime house we want to express our gratitude to you our community for making this possible please support us by reading reviewing and following murder true crime

stories wherever you get your podcasts. And to enhance your murder true crime stories listening experience, subscribe to Crime House Plus on Apple Podcasts. You'll get ad-free listening, early access to every two-part series, and exciting bonus content. And this is the second of two episodes on the twisted case of Claudine, D.D.D. Blanchard and her daughter, Gypsy Rose. Last time, we learned how Didi dedicated herself to caring for Gypsy as she faced a string of life-threatening illnesses. It seemed like it was them against the world. Until 2005, when local charity organizations decided to step in, thanks to their help, the pair was given a fresh start in Springfield, Missouri.

But that's when everything started to unravel. Today, we'll see how Didi and Gypsy's relationship began to crumble. As Gypsy became desperate to create her own life, D.D. turned to violence to maintain control. Eventually, things reached a boiling point, and in 2015, 23-year-old Gypsy decided to take matters into her own hands. All that and more coming up. After years of instability, 44-year-old Claudine, D.D. Blanchard, and her daughter, Gypsy Rose, had finally made a home for themselves. In 2011, they were living in Springfield, Missouri, and they'd made a big splash when they moved there six years earlier after Hurricane Katrina. D.D. was a single mother and full-time caretaker for Gypsy, who seemed to have a host of serious medical issues.

According to D.D., she had muscular dystrophy, cancer, and needed a feeding tube to eat. When the Springfield community heard their story, they rallied around the duo. Volunteers sent them gifts, and the local hospital gave them a new house. Eventually, they'd even caught the eye of national organizations like Make a Wish. Through it all, Gypsy and D.D. had remained incredibly close. The outside attention was nice. but what really mattered was the trust they had in one another. Or so Gypsy thought.

In 2011, Gypsy was rifling through her mom's things when she made a startling discovery. D.D. had been lying about Gypsy's age. According to D.D., Gypsy was born in 1995, which made her 15 going on 16 years old. However, Gypsy's mom. Medicaid card listed her date of birth as July 27th, 1991. Four years might not seem like that big of a difference, but in this case, it was huge.

It meant Gypsy wasn't a minor. She was 19 going on 20 and a legal adult. Gypsy wondered, how could her mother lie to her about something so important? And why? Was she even sick at all? If she couldn't trust D.D. to tell her the truth about this, she couldn't trust her with anything. That's when Gypsy decided she needed to escape. To do that, Gypsy needed help.

But the list of people she could turn to was very short. D.D. had ensured that Gypsy Circle was incredibly small. She homeschooled Gypsy and never let her go. anywhere alone, which meant that anyone Gypsy knew, Didi knew too, and they'd probably tell her whatever Gypsy was planning. Jipsy didn't even consider reaching out to her dad, Rod Blanchard, who was back in Louisiana, thanks to Deity, and they didn't have much of a relationship. Growing up, Didi had told her that Rod was a bad man who never loved her or her mother. There was one person who might be able to help her, though.

This guy, Gypsy, had been talking to online. His name was Dan. They'd met earlier that year at a pop culture convention called VisionCon in Springfield. Of course, D.D. had accompanied Gypsy, so she'd met Dan, too. But after the convention, Gypsy friended him on her secret Facebook account. account. Although Dan was in his 30s and thought Gypsy was 16, they'd been chatting ever since. They had shared interests and Gypsy thought he was funny. More importantly, he listened attentively when Gypsy told him how controlling Dee Dee was. It seemed like he

cared, which is why Gypsy felt like she could tell him the truth. After talking for a few months, Gypsy told Dan her real age. Hearing she was actually 19, when he immediately offered to help her run away to his home state of Arkansas. D.D. would never find her there. Gypsy's heart soared. She felt like she'd finally found her prince,

just like all Disney princesses she loved. If only real life were that simple. For starters, Dan didn't have a car, which meant Gypsy would have to find a way to get to him. That complicated things, but she could figure it out. At the moment, he was staying with friends in Springfield, Missouri, where she lived. He sent her the address. Gypsy quickly packed a bag with clothes and toiletries. She stole $1,000 from Dede's wallet, along with a bottle of Vicodin,

and then Gypsy ran out the door without a wheelchair. At this point, Gypsy knew she could walk on her own, and she also knew she didn't need a feeding tube to eat. Beyond that, she still believed she was sick with cancer and had other medical issues, including seizures. But none of that seemed to matter now. The most important thing was getting away before D.D. realized she was gone.

When she first stepped outside, Gypsy was terrified. She'd never been out on her own. She could hear Dee's voice in her head, telling her how weak and helpless she was. Gypsy pushed the thoughts out of her mind and kept moving, and the farther she got, the freer she felt. This was it, the start of her brand new life. but eventually she realized she had no idea how to actually get to Dan's place she'd never been on public transport

and wasn't sure how to navigate the streets of Springfield after thinking it over she decided to hitchhike eventually she made it to Dan and that's when she realized there was another problem they couldn't go to Arkansas at least not right away he couldn't leave the state of Missouri because of the terms of his parole. Gypsy didn't know why Dan was in trouble with the law

or what it meant for someone to be on parole, but she was worried. The longer she stayed in Missouri, the more likely it was that Didi would find her. Still, it was late and Gypsy was tired. She went to sleep and hoped they could figure things out in the morning. Hours later, Gypsy and Dan woke up to pounding on the door. They went to answer it and came face to face with D.D.

She was furious. She'd woken up in the middle of the night to find Gypsy gone. She searched the house and discovered Gypsy's cell phone. It had fallen out of Gypsy's bag on her way out. D.D. opened the phone and saw her messages with Dan. She looked up the address of the house where he was staying and raced over. D.D. demanded that Gypsy go back with her, but Gypsy had come this far and she had no plans of giving in. She told D.D. she knew the truth. She was 19 and legally an adult. D.D. didn't react.

Instead, she calmly asked Gypsy about the money and pills she'd stolen. gypsy couldn't deny that she retrieved the items and gave them back to dd from there dd asked if they could go talk on the porch gypsy was suspicious dd seemed eerily calm but then when they were alone dd looked at her with such love it seemed like she understood how important it was for Gypsy to have her own life. Didy said they could make a deal. If Gypsy came home with her now, she could keep seeing Dan. Gypsy was blown away.

Finally, she'd gotten through to her mother. Maybe things were going to be okay after all. She went back inside to gather her things, then left with Dee-D. Although Gypsy was feeling hopeful, there were still several things she needed her mom to address. In the car, she confronted D.D. about her age again. But D.D. insisted that Gypsy was wrong. She must have misread the Medicaid card. She said the gypsy was born in 1995. She was definitely 16 years old. Then, D.D. made a sharp turn and pulled up to an office supply store. She didn't explain what she was doing. She just went inside,

leaving Gypsy alone in the car. When she returned, she handed Gypsy a copy of her birth certificate. The date of birth read July 27, 1995. There was something strange about it, though. The numbers look kind of smudged. But before Gypsy could take a closer look, Didi snatched the paper back. She announced the matter was settled, and that was that. gypsy was quiet for the rest of the drive home as soon as they stepped inside dd flew into a rage

gypsy had never seen her mom this angry and mean she said awful things calling gypsy a tramp and telling her that she was evil before gypsy could even try to defend herself dd stormed off She returned a moment later, carrying a hammer. Gypsy flinched as Dee Dee smashed her laptop to pieces. Then she moved on to Gypsy's cell phone. Gypsy cowered in terror as Didi stalked toward her, still holding the hammer. Gypsy wondered if this was it, the moment her life would come to an end. Instead, Didi slapped her hard across the face.

if gypsy thought that was the worst of it she was wrong dd proceeded to tie gypsy to the bed with a dog leash in handcuffs she kept gypsy there for the next two weeks trapped and completely at her mercy if she's so much as wanted to go to the bathroom dd had to take her finally dd seemed to calm down she removed the leash and cuffs, but Gypsy was anything but free. She spent the next few months trying to win back Dede's trust. She knew what to say and do to make D.D. think she'd learned her lesson. Eventually, it worked. They got a new shared computer that Gypsy was only allowed to use when D.D. was watching. And like before, Gypsy simply waited until D.D. took her nightly sleeping pill went to bed then she logged on somehow gypsy found out about a free dating site for christians even after

her experience with dan who she was no longer speaking to gypsy still desperately wanted a boyfriend someone to love and protect her so she signed up and started browsing profiles Sometime in October 2012, a 23-year-old man named Nicholas Godijon caught her eye. He lived in Wisconsin, and Gypsy thought he was really cute. She sent him a message, and he replied almost instantly. When she saw his name pop up on her screen, Chipsy got butterflies. Even then, Chipsy had a feeling that Nick was going to change her life. Little did she know

They were about to set off On a very dark path One that she'd never recover from Check out the big stars Big Series and Blockbuster movies Streaming on Paramount Plus Cue the music

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on a Christian dating website. and the more she learned about him, the stronger her feelings became. Nick was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin. His parents divorced when he was around three years old. Like Gypsy, he also grew up with a single mom and didn't seem close to his dad. He told Gypsy he was a quiet kid who kept to himself and didn't have many friends, but he really started to struggle in elementary school. Nick wasn't sure how exactly, but he knew he was different from the other kids.

After some testing, he was diagnosed with autism. It's not clear how severe Nick's case was, but he was placed in special education classes all the way through high school. Even with the support he was able to receive, socializing continued to be a challenge for Nick. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't seem to make friends. at least not in person. Online, it was a different story. He found it much easier to communicate

when there was a screen in front of him. Soon he was spending most of his time on the internet and before long, he realized he was fascinated by computers themselves. After graduating high school, sometime around 2006, Nick enrolled in a training course to become a computer repair man. It didn't go well. for him, though. Nick couldn't keep up with the demands of the program and was let go. He didn't really try to do anything else after that. Instead, he continued to live at home with

his mom. Aside from his family, the only human interactions he had were online. By the time Nick and Gypsy started talking in 2012, he was just as starved for affection as she was. After Nick, opened up to her. Gypsy decided to do the same. She was worried what he might think about her using a wheelchair, but Nick promised it didn't change his feelings. If anything, it was another thing that made them perfect for each other. Nick knew what it was like to live with a disability and feel different from everyone else. Now that they'd found each other, they'd never have to feel alone again. Pretty soon, they were talking for hours every night after D.D. went to sleep. It wasn't long until they decided to make things official. Within a week of their first conversation,

the pair decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend. This was the fairy tale love that 21-year-old gypsy had been waiting for. She was sure of it. It wasn't always easy to sneak around. though. Even though she took sleeping pills, D.D. was still a light sleeper. There were nights when it didn't feel safe for Gypsy to log on. Other times, D.D. would reset the password on the laptop without telling Gypsy. To get around that, Gypsy stole a cell phone from a big box store. Shoplifting wasn't new to Gypsy. In fact, it was one of the only skills D.D. actually taught her. The phone didn't have service, so she couldn't make calls, but Gypsy was able to connect to Wi-Fi and chat with Nick over Facebook and other apps. After a year of talking in secret,

sometime in 2013, Gypsy felt like she was ready to trust Nick with a huge secret, one that she'd never dared to admit out loud, even though she used a wheelchair every day, she could walk on her own. To gypsy surprise, Nick took the news in stride. Actually, he said that he already knew she could walk. When she asked how, he told her it was because they were soulmates. That meant he already knew everything about her. Plus, he had psychic powers. It's not clear if Gypsy believed he was psychic, but she did believe they were soulmates. And since she trusted him with such a big secret, Nick wanted to tell her one of his own. He admitted that he had multiple personalities. Today, the condition is known as dissociative identity disorder,

something Nick was never formally diagnosed with, but even without a diagnosis, it was very real to Nick. And he thought it would be great if each of his personalities had their own girlfriends. So he described each one to Gypsy, and she invented characters that matched. It came pretty naturally to Gypsy, who already loved to dress up and play pretend. The role-playing quickly turned sexual.

Nick requested pictures and videos from Gypsy's personalities that were more and more risque. Together, they created an intricate fantasy life that was nothing like Gypsy's reality. In her real life, Gypsy was still seeing doctor after doctor. Although she'd started to suspect that she wasn't actually sick, Didi insisted she still had cancer and a whole bunch of other medical conditions. As for her relationship with D.D., not much had changed, except now physical violence was common and almost casual. If Gypsy said or did something that D.D. didn't like,

she got slapped across the face or punched in the thigh. D.D. would become especially angry if Jipsy dared question her decisions. And now that she was older, Gypsy asked about the medications her mother gave her. She even tried to resist taking them from time to time, which always set Dee-D-D-off. Each fight left Gypsy feeling more desperate and pushed her closer to Nick. One night, she and Nick were chatting when Gypsy made a confession. She told him the only thing she wanted was someone to protect her.

Nick quickly assured her that he would do anything to keep her safe. Gypsy was thrilled to hear that, but she wanted to know if Nick would protect her from anyone. When he said yes, Gypsy admitted that the most dangerous person in her life was her own mother. Finally, Gypsy unloaded everything. D.D. wasn't just overprotective. She controlled everything about Gypsy's life, what she wore, what she ate, who she talked to.

She insisted that Gypsy was sick, even though Gypsy herself felt fine. Dee Dee was the reason she and Nick couldn't be together anywhere but online. Nick was upset to hear all this, but when Gypsy started describing the physical abuse, he was enraged. Gypsy felt like a weight had been lifted. Not only was Nick aware of her situation, but he was determined to get her away from D.D. Gypsy knew it wasn't going to be easy, but together she and Nick would figure it out. There was a small problem, though. While Gypsy and Nick were busy planning their future together, they'd never actually met in person.

In March of 2015, after two years. of dating, 23-year-old Gypsy decided it was time to change that. But it wouldn't be so simple. Since she never let Gypsy out of her sight, D.D. would have to be there too. If that wasn't bad enough, Gypsy wasn't supposed to be using the computer without DD's knowledge, which meant Gypsy and 25-year-old Nick would have to pretend they didn't already know each other. After thinking it over, Gypsy came up with the perfect plan. Nick would take the bus from Waukesha, Wisconsin, to Springfield, Missouri, where Gypsy lived. She and D.D. planned to go see the new live-action remake of Cinderella that month.

Nick would just happen to be seeing the same movie and strike up a conversation with D.D. Since she and Gypsy loved all things Disney, D.D. was sure to be in a good mood. From there, Gypsy imagined that Nick and Dee-D could become friends. Then, when Gypsy and Nick revealed they were dating, Didi would not only be supportive, but maybe even happy for them. Gypsy's plan was detailed, and it also hinged on a lot of what-ifs. Unfortunately, when the night arrived, things didn't go how she hoped. When they got to the movie theater,

Later, Gypsy's stomach was doing flips. She was dressed in a full Cinderella costume complete with a big curly blonde wig. As Dee Dee bought their tickets, Gypsy searched the lobby for her Prince Charming. And then she saw him. Nick had dressed nicely too, wearing a white collared shirt and a blue tie that perfectly matched her dress. Gypsy's heart fluttered as he came closer. It was the moment she'd been dreaming of for years, but she had to play it cool.

Nick said hello to Dee-D., then turned to Gypsy. Gypsy took Nick's outstretched hand, shaking it like he was just some guy. She was meeting for the first time, but in her head she could hear romantic music swelling. She'd barely said hi when Didi yanked her away, pushing her chair down the hall to the auditorium. Nick followed as they all found their seats. When the lights went down, he sat next to Gypsy. It was dark enough that they held hands as the film started. When the movie ended, and Didi made sure they left the theater as quickly as possible.

Gypsy didn't have to ask what she'd thought of Nick. D.D. went on and on about how she did not like that guy. She thought he was creepy. It wasn't normal for a grown man. to be a kid's movie alone and he'd been way too interested in them gypsy tried to defend nick but that just started a bigger argument her heart shattered gypsy's plan had failed miserably but she wasn't giving up just yet she needed to come up with a new idea and this time there was no room for error Gypsy messaged Nick while he was on the bus back to Wisconsin.

She told him they had to get creative. Gypsy briefly considered getting pregnant, but the more she thought about it, even that could go wrong. It was possible that D.D. would just make her get an abortion. Nick suggested running away, but Gypsy reminded him that she'd tried that. D.D. would always find her.

It seemed like as long as long as, as Dee Dee was alive, Gypsy would never be free. That's when Gypsy had an epiphany. Maybe that was the problem. They had to get rid of D.D. Nick asked if she was serious and Gypsy said, yes. Just like that, he was on board. But Gypsy said she couldn't stomach the idea of doing it herself. She didn't have it in her to kill anyone, let alone her own mother. She asked Nick to do it for her, and he agreed. After all, he'd once promised to do anything it took to protect Gypsy. It wouldn't be that hard. All he had to do was unleash Victor. Victor was one of Nick's multiple personalities.

He was a 500-year-old vampire and a killing machine. Victor was always filling Nick's head with thoughts of violence, fantasizing about doing all sorts of terrible things. He was Nick's darkest side. He would get the job done. Now that they decided who would do it, they needed to figure out how. gypsy wanted it to be fast just because Didi needed to die

didn't mean that Gypsy wanted her to suffer Gypsy suggested a gun but Nick said it would be too loud and the neighbors would hear it and they wouldn't be able to get away fast enough that's when Nick suggested a knife it would be quick and quiet it took time for them to make their preparations

and gypsy stole an 11-inch hunting knife from Walmart, then she started taking small amounts of money from Dede's wallet over time. When she had enough for a bus ticket and a few nights in a motel, Gypsy mailed the cash to Nick in Wisconsin. As soon as he got the money, Nick bought a bus ticket to Springfield. He left on June 8th. The drive was 17 hours and went overnight, so he arrived in the early morning hours of June 9th.

2015. As soon as he stepped off the bus, he texted Gypsy that he'd made it. She responded, Yay! Like, this was just a regular visit. All that was left for Nick to do was wait for Gypsy's signal. So he checked into a motel and bided his time. Her job was much harder. She had to spend the entire day with Didi, pretending like everything was normal. The hours ticked by slowly until finally the sun began to set. Settling in for the night, Didi and Gypsy put on a movie and painted each other's nails. It was pretty late by the time the movie finished. Afterwards, Didi took her sleeping pill and went to bed. Gypsy said, I love you and pretended to do the same.

name. Then she texted Nick that it was time. He took a cab from the motel. Just like they planned, Gypsy met him at the door with a knife and some gloves. She shut herself in the bathroom as Nick made his way to Didy's bedroom. Even with the door shut and her hands over her ears. Gypsy could hear Dee Dee screaming her name. She begged for help. Then everything was silent. It was done. And Gypsy felt she was free. your brother, your partner, your friends. It isn't just a men's issue. It's a human one.

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Petro points. Find out more at RBC.com slash Petro-dash Canada. Conditions apply. In 2013, the murders of Claudia Mopin and Chip North have left their town of Davis, California, paralyzed in fear. The victims were an elderly couple. It was up close and personal. Even more chilling, the prime suspect was a teenager. He's a, I think the word is psychotic. From 48 hours binge the full series, 15 inside the Daniel Marsh murders now on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcast. On June 9, 2015, 23-year-old Gypsy Rose Blanchard let her boyfriend, 26-year-old Nicholas, go to Jean, into the house she shared with her mother. She handed him the knife she'd stolen and pointed him in the direction of 48-year-old Dede's room.

Then Gypsy hit in the bathroom while Nick killed her mom. There was a lot of noise, screaming and thuds. After about five minutes of silence, Nick knocked on the bathroom door. When Gypsy opened up, Nick was covered in blood. In total, he'd stabbed Dee Dee's 17 times in the back and neck, while the majority of the blood was Dee Dee's Nick. was also bleeding, he'd cut his finger during the attack. Gypsy knew they couldn't leave his DNA around,

so she did her best to clean up the droplets. Then they gathered her things, and Gypsy walked out the door for the last time. They took a cab back to Nick's hotel room and spent the next day in bed together. It was almost like they were on their honeymoon. Afterwards, they went to the bus station to head back to Nick's home in Wisconsin, where he lived with his mom and stepdad.

Gypsy spent the drive, looking out the window, and imagining her future with Nick. She didn't care that he still lived at home, but she did care that he didn't have a job. How are they supposed to start a new life together? Slowly but surely reality set in, and Gypsy worried she was in over her head. it felt eerily similar to the first time she'd tried to run away only now dd wasn't going to come get her gypsy didn't regret what she and nick had done but a part of her already missed her mom days passed and there was no news about dd it broke gypsy's heart to think about her dead and alone with no one coming to find her so on june 14th five days after the murder, Gypsy logged into Dee Dee's Facebook account and wrote a post. It was simple and sensational that said, that bitch is dead. When Dee Dee's friend Kim saw the post, she called the Blanchard residence to check in.

Didi didn't answer, so Kim and her husband Dave went to check in on her on Gypsy. From the outside, everything looked normal. house was closed up and quiet and Dee Dee's car was in the driveway. Kim knocked on the front door and no one answered. Dave tried to look in through the windows, but they were tinted and hard to see through. Finally, they called the police for a wellness check. There was an issue, though. There were no signs of a break-in or anything to indicate that something was wrong, which meant the police couldn't just barge inside. While they were all standing around wondering what to do, Dave noticed that the kitchen window was unlocked. He asked the officers if there was anything preventing

him from going in to look around. They gave him the go ahead. So Dave climbed in. Inside, nothing looked out of place. The only thing that worried him was that all three of Gypsy's wheelchairs were still in the house. By the time he came out to tell officers what he'd seen, there was a small crowd gathering around. The responding officers started interviewing neighbors as they stopped by. That's when they realized that no one had seen or heard from D.D. or Gypsy for days. That was definitely concerning. At that point, the authorities prepared a warrant to search the house. It came through at around 10.45 that night. Once they were in the house, it didn't take long before they found a 48-year-old Dee-D on her bed in a pool of blood.

The investigators figured that whoever had killed Dee-D had also kidnapped Gypsy. To try to track the killer down, they traced the Facebook post, the one saying Didi was dead. It led them straight to Nick's door. And the very next day, June 15th, the Waukesha County Police Department surrounded Nick's house. They weren't sure what they were going to find. Based on the scene at the Blanchard residence, Nick was potentially dangerous. They didn't know if he had Gypsy with him or what state she might be in. No one was expecting Gypsy to come walking out on her own two feet.

She was completely unharmed and there with Nick of her own free will. Nick followed her out and they were both taken into custody. At the station, the police put them in separate rooms for questions. An officer sat down with Gypsy and told her that D.D. was dead. Gypsy acted shocked and burst into tears, and that was the plan she and Nick had come up with. They would tell the authorities that D.D. kicked Gypsy out, which was why she was in Wisconsin with him. After that, they didn't know anything about what happened to D.D. Nick also stuck to the plan at first, but as the interview wore on, Nick started to cave.

After only 20 minutes, he confessed to killing D.D., and he was very clear that the only reason he'd done it was because Gypsy asked him to. The evidence backed him up. Sheriff's back in Springfield had gotten access to Gypsy's computer, which meant they had found all the messages between her and Nick where they discussed and planned the murder together. That alone would have been enough for the arraignment, but when the Waukesha PD searched Nick's room, they found the bloody murder weapon in his closet, right where he told them it would be. On June 16th, Gypsy and Nick were formally charged with first-degree murder. The news hit Gypsy and Dee's friends and family like a bombshell. All they could do was watch the footage of Gypsy walking into

the Wisconsin courtroom. She looked nothing. like the sick little girl they'd all known. At this point, Gypsy seemed to know the full extent of Dee's lies. She didn't have muscular dystrophy, and she didn't have cancer. In fact, she wasn't sick at all. For Gypsy's father, Rod Blanchard,

it was bittersweet. He was relieved to see that Gypsy was healthy, but now she was being charged with murder. What would the rest of her life look like. When Gypsy told him she was innocent, Rod believed her, but then her messages were shown in court. On July 24, 2015, 24-year-old Gypsy went before a judge for a preliminary hearing. She was back in Springfield, so Rod and her stepmom Christy were able to attend in person. As the prosecution entered the chats into evidence, Gypsy stole glances at her family. There was no

lying her way out of this now. It was clear she was guilty. Rod was at a crossroads. Although Gypsy had lied to him, he knew there must have been a very good reason for her actions. Hopefully, her legal team would prove it. However, he couldn't afford to hire her a fancy attorney. All they could do is hope the state-appointed one could handle the case.

Gypsy's public defender was named Mike Stanfield, and he was up for the challenge. He started with the most obvious, the wheelchair. If D.D. had made Gypsy lie about needing one, what else was she hiding? He couldn't have imagined just how far she really went. Tracking down all of Gypsy's medical records was slow going. When Mike eventually got access, his office was flooded with thick files from every doctor Gypsy had ever seen. There must have been hundreds. As he compared all the records,

Mike became the first person besides Gypsy to get a clear picture of Dee's deception. For example, during a visit to Gypsy's cardiologist, Didi lied and said that most of her family had died of heart disease, even though that wasn't true. And then there was the information from Dr. Bernardo Flasterstein, Gypsy's pediatric neurologist. In 2007, he wrote a letter saying he suspected D.D. had Munchausen by proxy syndrome, or MbPS.

It's a condition in which the primary caretaker of a child fakes or induces symptoms to make that child seem sick. MbPS is considered both a mental disorder and child abuse. It's fairly rare, and hard to diagnose, but Gypsy's records painted a clear picture. Even if it somehow wasn't MBPS, there was more than enough evidence to show that D.D. was

guilty of medical child abuse. In early 2016, Mike presented the records as mitigation evidence on Gypsy's behalf. The prosecution looked it over and quickly agreed to a plea deal. Gypsy would not stand trial. On July 5th, 2016, a little over a year after her mother was killed, 24-year-old Gypsy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She was sentenced to the minimum 10 years and sent to Chilicothe Correctional Center in Ohio. Prison turned out to be pretty good for Gypsy. She was finally able to eat freely, speak freely, and make some decisions for herself. Most importantly, she was able to get therapy to process everything that had happened, which was part of the reason that Gypsy agreed to testify on behalf of Nick's defense.

She was two years into her sentence and wanted to take accountability for her part. On November 15, 2018, Gypsy took the stand. She told the jury that it was entirely her idea to kill D.D. and that she'd asked Nick to do it for her. Unfortunately, her honesty didn't work out the way the defense hoped. The difference between Gypsy and Nick came down to choice. There was a mountain of evidence to show that Gypsy truly believe she was out of options. But Nick wasn't under the same duress, and he still chose to kill.

So on February 22nd, 2019, 29-year-old Nick was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the opportunity for parole. He is currently serving that sentence at the Potosi Correctional Center in Missouri. In 2022, he filed a motion for a retrial based on ineffective counsel, but it was denied. Unlike Nick, Gypsy was allowed to seek parole. She won her parole hearing and was released from prison on December 28, 2003 at the age of 32. She has since released multiple memoirs and starred in several documentaries.

In 2024, Gypsy received her own reality TV show on the Lifetime Network called Gypsy Rose Life After Lockup. There are many people who still wonder whether justice was really served in this case. D.D. might have been a victim, but her life wasn't the only one that was stolen. So was gypsies. It's not that simple, though. While Gypsy was never actually sick, D.D. was. As tragic as this story is, it shed light on Munchausen by proxy. In the years since, there's been much more awareness of this little known condition. Hopefully, Gypsy Story has helped other victims of MBPS escape the abuse she endured. But this case highlights something else. True crime isn't black and white.

Sometimes the line between good and bad can become blurred. And it's on us to look at the whole picture and decide what justice looks like. Thanks so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next week for the story of a new murder and all the people it affected. Murder True Crime Stories is a Crime House original powered by Pave Studios. Here at Crime House, we want to thank each and every one of you for your support. If you like what you heard today, reach out on social media,

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