Four chapters.
One case.
The killing of Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard in Springfield, Missouri, became a widely discussed criminal case because the facts behind it were very different from what people around the family had believed. Dee Dee’s daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, had spent much of her life presented as seriously ill and physically disabled. After Dee Dee was found dead in June 2015, investigators discovered that Gypsy could walk and that she had been secretly communicating with Nicholas Godejohn, an online boyfriend from Wisconsin. Both were charged in connection with the killing (“Daughter and Paramour Charged”).
The case raises difficult questions about how reported long-term abuse should be considered without treating it as an automatic legal excuse for homicide. This project looks at the backgrounds of Gypsy and Nicholas, the evidence and investigative methods that connected them to the crime, the very different legal paths their cases took, and the way news coverage and later media portrayals shaped public attention.
The accused
Learn about Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Nicholas Godejohn, their backgrounds, relationship, and the motives each later described.
Investigation
Follow the crime, discovery of Dee Dee’s body, digital evidence, police interviews, and the interstate search for the suspects.
Legal process
Compare Gypsy’s guilty plea with Nicholas Godejohn’s jury trial, sentences, later challenges, and the legal rights involved.
The impact
Examine why the case gained national attention, how media portrayed it, and what can actually be said about its lasting effects.
Every source.
In one place.
Works cited & media ↗Works cited
Diaz, Joseph, and Jenner Smith. “Wisconsin Man Says He Feels Ex-Girlfriend Used Him to Kill Her Mother.” ABC News, 5 Jan. 2018. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://abcnews.com/US/wisconsin-man-feels-girlfriend-kill-mother/story?id=52165810Godejohn v. State. No. SC100575, Supreme Court of Missouri, 4 June 2024. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/66613bc365621832147935e2Godejohn v. State. No. SD37983, Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, 1 Apr. 2024. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/660cdbae09734c00de40eac5Godejohn v. Vandergriff. No. 6:2025cv03068, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, filed 10 Mar. 2025. Justia Dockets & Filings. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/missouri/mowdce/6%3A2025cv03068/182557Good Morning America. “Gypsy Rose Blanchard Speaks Out after Release from Prison.” YouTube, 5 Jan. 2024. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIdv8RBDe0E“Greene County Judge Denies Nicholas Godejohn’s Motion for a New Trial.” KY3, 1 Mar. 2023. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.ky3.com/2023/03/02/greene-county-judge-denies-nicholas-godejohns-motion-new-trial/Greene County Prosecuting Attorney. “Daughter and Paramour Charged in Murder of Mother.” Greene County, Missouri, 16 June 2015. Includes felony complaint and probable-cause statement. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://mediaassets.kshb.com/pdf/Godejohn-Blancharde-Press-release-charge-6-16-15.pdfGreene County Prosecuting Attorney. “Gypsy Blanchard Pleads Guilty to Murder of Her Mother.” Greene County, Missouri, 5 July 2016. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://greenecountymo.gov/files/file.php?id=10449“Gypsy Blanchard Now Likely to Testify in Murder Trial against Nicholas Godejohn.” KY3, 7 Nov. 2018. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Gypsy-Blanchard-now-likely-to-testify-in-murder-trial-against-Nicholas-Godejohn-499990652.htmlNajib, Shafiq, Vera Drymon, and Robyn Weil. “Gypsy Rose Blanchard Speaks Out in 1st TV Interview after Being Released from Prison.” ABC News / Good Morning America, 5 Jan. 2024. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://video.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/gypsy-rose-blanchard-speaks-out-in-1st-tv-interview-after-being-released-from-prison-106085484Scripps News Staff. “Gypsy Rose Blanchard Released from Prison after Her Mother’s Murder.” KSHB 41, Dec. 2023. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.scrippsnews.com/us-news/crime/gypsy-rose-blanchard-released-from-prison-after-her-mother-s-murderShapiro, Emily, Nic Uff, and Vera Drymon. “Gypsy Rose Blanchard Released from Prison after Serving Time for Mom’s Murder.” ABC News, 28 Dec. 2023. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://abcnews.com/US/gypsy-rose-blanchard-released-prison-after-serving-time/story?id=105925237Smith, Jenner, Joseph Diaz, and Alexa Valiente. “How a Young Woman Forced to Use a Wheelchair, Treated for Several Illnesses Ended Up in Prison for Her Mother’s Murder.” ABC News, 4 Jan. 2018. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://abcnews.com/us/young-wheelchair-bound-woman-treated-illnesses-ended-prison/story?id=52138979State of Missouri v. Nicholas Paul Godejohn. No. SD35974, Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, 10 June 2020. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://app.midpage.ai/document/orders-pursuant-to-rules-30--f8f6a5f4-f41c-4e36-9f2d-fd1ed1a2e404United States, Congress, Library of Congress. “Evidentiary Requirements in Criminal Cases.” Constitution Annotated. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt14-S1-5-5-6/ALDE_00013764/United States, Congress, Library of Congress. “Overview of Right to Trial by Jury.” Constitution Annotated. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/amdt6-4-1/ALDE_00013124/“VERDICT: Greene County Jury Finds Nicholas Godejohn Guilty of First-Degree Murder.” KY3, 16 Nov. 2018. Accessed 18 Sept. 2026.
https://www.ky3.com/content/news/VERDICT-500694181.html