Dee Dee Blanchard — Credit: Found at Imgur; this has been widely circulated · Copyrighted — editorial use, owner-approved 2026-07-11
Clauddine "Dee Dee" Blanchard (née Pitre), born May 3, 1967, in Chackbay, Louisiana, was a 48-year-old woman killed at her home in Springfield, Missouri, in June 2015. For years, Blanchard had represented her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, as suffering from severe illnesses including leukemia, muscular dystrophy, epilepsy, and developmental disabilities. Investigations following her death indicated that many of these conditions were not consistently supported by medical documentation and were later determined by investigators to have been misrepresented or fabricated, a pattern widely discussed in connection with factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA).
Police discovered Blanchard's body five days after the killing, after neighbors saw alarming Facebook posts attributed to Gypsy Rose and requested a welfare check. Investigators, aided by information from a neighbor about Gypsy Rose's online relationship with Nicholas Godejohn of Big Bend, Wisconsin, traced the pair to Godejohn's home, where both were taken into custody on charges of murder and felony armed criminal action.
According to court records and the probable cause statement, Gypsy Rose Blanchard had communicated with Godejohn in advance about killing her mother, provided the knife, gloves, and duct tape used in the attack, and hid elsewhere in the house while Godejohn stabbed Dee Dee Blanchard 17 times in the back as she slept. The pair took cash from the home and fled to a motel before traveling to Wisconsin, mailing the murder weapon ahead of them. During post-arrest interrogation, Gypsy Rose Blanchard initially denied any involvement, stating "I'm innocent."
Prosecutors declined to seek the death penalty for either defendant, calling the case "extraordinary and unusual." In July 2016, Gypsy Rose Blanchard accepted a plea agreement, pleading guilty to second-degree murder and receiving a ten-year sentence; her plea deal did not require her to testify against Godejohn. She was granted parole in September 2023 and released on December 28, 2023, after serving more than eight years.
Godejohn's case proceeded to trial in November 2018. Prosecutors presented evidence including online messages between Godejohn and Gypsy Rose discussing plans for the killing, and the defense argued diminished capacity due to autism spectrum disorder. Gypsy Rose Blanchard testified during the trial that she had "talked him into it." After approximately two hours of deliberation, the jury found Godejohn guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. In February 2019, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole on the murder count, with a concurrent 25-year sentence for armed criminal action. A motion for a new trial was denied, though the judge acknowledged an appeals court might view certain evidentiary rulings as significant. In late 2023, a public defender filed a further appeal seeking a new trial for Godejohn, with no timeline set for review as of that filing.
The case drew extensive public attention to the pattern of alleged medical abuse Dee Dee Blanchard subjected her daughter to over many years, including unnecessary treatments, feeding tubes, medication, and repeated relocations that fragmented medical records, which became a significant factor in public discussion of the killing.
Clauddine "Dee Dee" Pitre (later Blanchard) is born in Chackbay, Louisiana.
1990-12-27
Dee Dee Blanchard marries Rod Blanchard.
1991-07-27
Daughter Gypsy Rose Blanchard is born in Louisiana.
2005-08
Hurricane Katrina displaces Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose, who relocate to Missouri as part of a resettlement program.
2008
Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose move to Springfield, Missouri; Habitat for Humanity builds them a home.
2012
Gypsy Rose begins an online relationship with Nicholas Godejohn.
2015-03
Gypsy Rose and Godejohn meet in person for the first time in Springfield.
2015-06
Godejohn travels to Springfield and fatally stabs Dee Dee Blanchard while Gypsy Rose is present; the pair flee to Wisconsin.
2015-06
Police discover Dee Dee Blanchard's body five days after the killing following concerning Facebook posts; Gypsy Rose and Godejohn are arrested in Big Bend, Wisconsin.
2016-07
Gypsy Rose Blanchard pleads guilty to second-degree murder and is sentenced to ten years in prison.
2017-01
Godejohn's trial is postponed for a second psychiatric evaluation.
2018-11
Godejohn's trial takes place; jury finds him guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
2019-02
Godejohn is sentenced to life in prison without parole, plus a concurrent 25-year sentence for armed criminal action.
2023-09-29
Missouri Department of Corrections confirms Gypsy Rose Blanchard has been granted parole.
2023-12-28
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is released from prison on parole.
2023
Public defender Tyler Coyle files an appeal seeking a new trial for Godejohn.
Best coverage
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That Chapter / 24 min
The Bizarre Case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard
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Crime Weekly / 1 hr 43 min
Dee Dee Blanchard: The Story You Haven’t Heard (Part 1)
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Kendall Rae / 30 min
BIGGEST LIE EVER ENDS IN TRAGEDY! Case of Dee Dee and Gypsy
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Crime Weekly / 2 hr 19 min
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Dee Dee Blanchard: The Doctors (Part 2)
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Crime Weekly / 1 hr 44 min
Dee Dee Blanchard: Justice Served? (Part 7)
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Bailey Sarian / 35 min
Gypsy Rose Blanchard - Munchausen by proxy or Killer? - MysterMystery&Makeup - Bailey Sarian
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Dr. Todd Grande / 16 min
Did Gypsy Rose Blanchard Act in Self-Defense? | Dee Dee Blanchard Case Update and Analysis
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Crime Weekly / 2 hr 11 min
Dee Dee Blanchard: The Interrogations of Gypsy and Nicholas (Part 6)
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Crime Weekly / 2 hr
Dee Dee Blanchard: Gypsy and Nicholas Want Out (Part 3)
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Crime Weekly / 1 hr 57 min
Dee Dee Blanchard: Screaming for Gypsy (Part 5)
People
Dee Dee Blanchard
VICTIM
Killed by stabbing at her Springfield, Missouri home in June 2015.
Jim Arnott
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Greene County Sheriff who announced developments in the case and cautioned the public about donations to the family.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard
CONVICTED
Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July 2016 for conspiring in her mother's killing; sentenced to ten years, paroled and released December 2023.
Nicholas Godejohn
CONVICTED
Found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in November 2018 for stabbing Dee Dee Blanchard; sentenced to life without parole plus 25 years, concurrent.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
portrait victim
Dee Dee Blanchard
Credit: Found at Imgur; this has been widely circulated · Copyrighted — editorial use, owner-approved 2026-07-11 · Source
Dee Dee Blanchard, a Springfield, Missouri mother who for years falsely portrayed her daughter Gypsy Rose as gravely ill and disabled, was stabbed to death in her home in June 2015. Her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for conspiring with online boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn, who was convicted of first-degree murder for carrying out the killing.
Where did the murder happen?
Springfield, Missouri.
Who was convicted?
Gypsy Rose Blanchard (Pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in July 2016 for conspiring in her mother's killing; sentenced to ten years, paroled and released December 2023.) and Nicholas Godejohn (Found guilty of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in November 2018 for stabbing Dee Dee Blanchard; sentenced to life without parole plus 25 years, concurrent.).
