Back in 2015, this wild story broke and was all over the national headlines. It's become so popular, that they even made a Hulu show about it. It's insane.
If you're unfamiliar with the story, here's a (very condensed, watered-down version of) what you need to know:
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mom Dee Dee lived in Springfield, Missouri, and Gypsy had grown up being told she had a slew of various illnesses and was wheelchair-bound. We're talking serious illnesses here: muscular dystrophy, leukemia, epilepsy, and supposedly had the mental capacity of someone under the age of 10.
Because of her condition, the two were able to get a bunch of donations and things for free. A house from Habitat for Humanity, countless trips to Disney World, cash donations, you name it.
Anyway, on June 14, 2015, Dee Dee's body was found in their home. She was stabbed to death, and Gypsy was nowhere to be found. She was later located in Wisconsin with her boyfriend, who she'd previously met online. Turns out they had arranged for him to come to Missouri and kill Dee Dee because Gypsy had no other way out.
Before I go any further, I just want to say something. Yes, murder is wrong, and yes they both (Gypsy and the boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn) deserve time in prison because ultimately it was wrong and against the law. I get it, I don't disagree with that one bit. Moving on.
"No other way out of what?" you might ask? Here's the kicker.
Dee Dee Blanchard had Munchausen Syndrome by proxy, which is a mental illness that basically makes you NEED to care for someone who is ill, even if they're not really ill. And that was exactly the case for Gypsy: She wasn't really ill.
Dee Dee manipulated and abused Gypsy and everyone else into thinking she suffered from all of these things. Dee Dee forced Gypsy to undergo surgeries that were not needed, take countless medications that were not needed, and when Gypsy was old enough to realize that she may not be sick, or wasn't the age Dee Dee told her she was, Dee Dee threatened her and even physically abused her into staying quiet.
There was even an instance where Gypsy tried to run away, and that resulted in a terrible beating from Dee Dee, where she even got chained to the bed. Dee Dee also made sure to tell neighbors and friends that Gypsy was going through a weird phase and that she wasn't right in the head. We're just scratching the surface here. Dee Dee even controlled what Gypsy ate through her feeding tube and would medicate her when she was asleep or unaware of what was going on.
Gypsy Rose absolutely deserved/deserves some jail time for what happened. There's no doubt about it, the law was broken. In 2016, she got served a 10-year prison sentence.
All I'm saying is she should either be let out on parole or be relocated possibly to a mental health facility where she can get help. God only knows how long it's going to take for her to recover from the abuse she endured for quite literally, her entire life. In my personal opinion, what happened can even be explained as self-defense in a way.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard deserves to be freed from prison: Change my mind.
