Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who convinced her online boyfriend to kill her abusive mother after years of being forced to pretend she had serious illnesses, has been released from prison on parole.
Driving the news: Blanchard’s mother, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, had Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a psychological disorder in which parents seek sympathy through the exaggerated or made-up illnesses of their children.
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- While Blanchard was perfectly healthy as a child, she was forced to use a wheelchair and a feeding tube by her mother, who received media attention and charitable donations, including a house.
- Her mother manipulated doctors by telling them her daughter’s medical records were lost, and if they asked questions, she found a new physician.
- The abuse escalated, with Blanchard’s mother physically abusing her and chaining her to a bed. Blanchard eventually realized she wasn’t as sick as her mother claimed.
- Blanchard convinced her boyfriend to kill her mother and testified at his trial, where he was sentenced to life in prison.
- In turn, she agreed to a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty in 2016 to second-degree murder and serve 10 years in prison.
- Blanchard’s boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, argued that he was manipulated due to his autism and his love for Gypsy.
- Blanchard has since married while behind bars and has been released on parole.
