Gypsy Rose Blanchard

[Guest]

I think Gypsy is a full-blown psycho. While I feel bad for what happened to her as a child, I still think she could have simply walked out the door and into another life. I used to think it was sad she was sentenced to prison at all—but am grateful she's there and should be there for life.

[Melina22]

I was thinking about Gypsy today and about her insanely unlikely and convoluted story. One thing I thought about was various women I've known in my life who had severe personality disorders, and how gradually over many years, I realized that many of their daughters had grown to resemble their mothers more and more, as if the mothers had instilled these negative beliefs, delusions and ways of operating into their daughters. (Of course, the same can be true with fathers and sons). It's a sad thing to witness.

There were a few cases where, despite how sad I felt for the daughters, knowing why they were the way they were, I had to get some distance from them because they were so volatile, or toxic. 

Everyone feels bad for Gypsy, obviously, for growing up with a disturbed, abusive mother, but for sure it warped her in ways we don't know, as evidenced, for example, by the fact that she was in the bathroom shaving her legs while her boyfriend was stabbing her mother in another room. I don't know if any kind of therapy or punishment can undo the psychic and psychological damage caused by her childhood. 

[Scarlett45]

5 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

I think Gypsy is a full-blown psycho. While I feel bad for what happened to her as a child, I still think she could have simply walked out the door and into another life. I used to think it was sad she was sentenced to prison at all—but am grateful she's there and should be there for life.

I think from a legal perspective the sentence was fair. For the record I totally understand why after years and years of physical/mental abuse and isolation Gypsy would want to murder her mother. I think if Gypsy had snapped one day, taken a skillet and smashed her head in, Gypsy wouldn't have served a day in prison. I think the world was better off with Dee Dee dead (you do such a thing to your own child you deserve what you get) but Gypsy did meticulously plan the murder- some prison time is appropriate, 10yrs is a decent amount of time but she will still be young when she gets out. I don’t think life in prison would be right- there were mitigating circumstances AND I don’t think Gypsy is a general danger to society. Is she psychologically damaged? OF COURSE, who wouldn’t be in that situation, but I don’t think she is inspired to hurt people for shits and giggles. The woman is going to need intense, intense, intense therapy to be any sort of “normal” emotionally after what Dee Dee put her though. 

I think the community at large failed this girl though. I also think because people the family hated Dee Dee (for good reason) they weren’t motivated to keep a set of eyes on Gypsy. I don’t think her father is an evil man BUT he did what a lot of absent parents do- he dropped the ball and left someone else (usually the mother) to do the heavy lifting, assuming financial support and birthday calls/cards makes you an adequate parent. 

[Melina22]

14 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I don’t think her father is an evil man BUT he did what a lot of absent parents do- he dropped the ball and left someone else (usually the mother) to do the heavy lifting, assuming financial support and birthday calls/cards makes you an adequate parent. 

Yes. He seems nice, and I can understand why he felt like he needed to leave his marriage, yet if he'd stayed, Dee Dee couldn't have done what she did. His leaving pushed her into overdrive, if you go by the BuzzFeed article. I don't want to be judgmental, because with all her issues, life with Dee Dee must have been difficult, but him leaving was the worst thing that could have happened to Gypsy. 

[Scarlett45]

15 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

Yes. He seems nice, and I can understand why he felt like he needed to leave his marriage, yet if he'd stayed, Dee Dee couldn't have done what she did. His leaving pushed her into overdrive, if you go by the BuzzFeed article. I don't want to be judgmental, because with all her issues, life with Dee Dee must have been difficult, but him leaving was the worst thing that could have happened to Gypsy. 

I absolutely don’t have a problem with him leaving his marriage- I hope it didn’t come off that way. But just because you leave your marriage, doesn’t mean that your duty as a parent ends with finacial support and a few phone calls/visits a year. Had he kept his own eyes on Gypsy, actively talked to doctors as well etc, she wouldn’t have been able to run this con for YEARS. Years! Had he been more present Gypsy may have opened up to him more (as a little girl) and he would’ve been suspicious of things that didn’t make sense (for example her being able to walk but Dee Dee saying she couldn’t). 

Tons and tons and tons of people failed Gypsy, but her mother (who was abusive and batshit) and her father had the greatest duty to keep her safe. I don’t think this was his “fault” (Dee Dee chose to abuse Gypsy all on her own), but he had an affirmative duty of care and he let Gypsy down with devastating consequences because socially if a man provides regular financial support, and generally acknowledges the child’s existence he’s done his “job”, leaving mothers to do the rest. It was “easier” for him to not have to deal with Dee Dee and Gypsy suffered for it. 

[3girlsforus]

I think it’s more on the doctors than the dad that Dee Dee was able to keep this going for years. Sure the Dad could have been far more pushy to be involved in Gypsy’s life, but like everyone else he believed what Dee Dee told him about Gypsy’s condition. He had no reason to disbelieve this. Doctors did have a reason to disbelieve it and some did disbelieve it but didn’t do anything. 

I do wonder how many people know or strongly suspected something was up. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

For the record I totally understand why after years and years of physical/mental abuse and isolation Gypsy would want to murder her mother.

Oh, I totally get that, too. But I think her psychopathy comes into play when she recruited a mentally challenged young man to do her dirty work. Snapping would have made total sense—but she planned that killing and planned to not dirty her hands with the actual deed. It also became evident when she was questioned by the police and played dumb about her knowledge of her mother's death. 

I dunno. I think when she gets out of prison, she's still going to be a threat to someone. She's been bred to be a manipulator and just doesn't know any how to behave any other way. 

[Scarlett45]

13 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

I do wonder how many people know or strongly suspected something was up. 

I wonder as well. There had to be more people who suspected Dee Dee, but perhaps the notion was so outrageous to them they dismissed it. Perhaps they thought Dee Dee was abusing Gypsy, but that Gypsy was actually sick and Dee Dee was “stressed” and taking it out on her. 

12 hours ago, Giant Misfit said:

I dunno. I think when she gets out of prison, she's still going to be a threat to someone. She's been bred to be a manipulator and just doesn't know any how to behave any other way. 

I 100% believe Gypsy has been psychologically damaged and is a master manipulator at this point, but unless someone else forces her to go through unnecessary medical procedures, poisons her with medicines, holds her hostage physically and emotionally I don’t think she would have motivation to kill them. Also look how long it took her to lash out at Dee Dee. I don’t agree with what she did with involving Nick, but as messed up as Gypsy was (due to Dee Dee!), Dee Dee was still her mother and primary caregiver, and only social connection (besides online)- I can see why she wanted her dead but didn’t want to hold the weapon to do it. Best case 10yrs of intense psychiatric care makes her somewhat functional- but I don’t think that’s going to happen. 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I don’t think she would have motivation to kill them.

Yeah, when I said “threat” I didn’t mean to imply she’d kill again—just that she’s capable of inflicting some sort of damage  (emotional, financial) to unsuspecting others. 

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Giant Misfit said:

Yeah, when I said “threat” I didn’t mean to imply she’d kill again—just that she’s capable of inflicting some sort of damage  (emotional, financial) to unsuspecting others. 

Oh yes. You are very wise. I agree. 

[3girlsforus]

I can imagine it was very difficult for the prosecutors/judges etc to decide on an appropriate sentence for Gypsy. They had to see that she was a manipulator, after all she tried to manipulate them. They also knew the awful situation in which she was held. I think their biggest problem is that Gyspy is likely a danger to others. So the very thing that provides significant mitigation for her actions is the same thing that makes it likely she’s a danger to others. I’m sure it was hard for them to disregard the fact that Gypsy has been groomed from practically birth to manipulate, con, abuse, lie. She never developed any kind of moral code. The only way she knows how to get anything is to con and manipulate. But people who were raised in abusive relationships can’t be punished for things they might do. So they had to just consider the mitigation. 

Gypsy may not kill again, but her life training has been Dee Dee and now prison. I’m not sure she can overcome that. First I’d have to see evidence that she wants to overcome it. It seems that she’s fully embraced that she was a victim but hasn’t accepted that she did anything wrong herself. Unless she realizes that she is a con and a manipulator no kind of therapy will be effective. She will just use her victim status to continue to get what she wants. 

[Dmarie019]

I don't really think she's a danger to others in that she'll try to have more people murdered but she's conditioned to get what she wants so I don't think that stealing habit will go away any time soon. I think once she gets out she'll always be an untrusted person to those around her.

[Melina22]

On 5/6/2019 at 12:56 PM, 3girlsforus said:

It seems that she’s fully embraced that she was a victim but hasn’t accepted that she did anything wrong herself

This is totally the crux of the situation. Some people are absolutely incapable of thinking anything is their fault. They always blame others. These people are almost immune to therapy or any kind of self-improvement. I'm hoping this doesn't apply to Gypsy. Time will tell. 

[funky-rat]

Prison is the best place for her.  She'll have structure, and she's learning skills (one article I read said she either got her GED or is working on it, and she was taught things like hair and makeup), and she'll get therapy.  Plus her dad is regularly in her life now.  I'd have given her more time (ie: 15 years) with an option to be released at 10 years if she can prove she has changed.  My husband did better than a lot of his cousins, and even his own brother, when we got him away from his toxic family (he's the only one who has never been arrested) but he has deep scars that hurt him to this day, and the depression takes over - we're dealing with that right now, and it sucks massively.

[3girlsforus]

I think for Gypsy therapy will be a double-edged sword. It will help her deal with her abuse and learn things she should have as child, but I’m less convinced it will confront her as a perpetrator of the con. They might deal with the fact that she is a murderer, but again probably only in the context of escaping her abuse and confronting that she probably didn’t need to choose that way out. 

Unless the therapy gets in her face and explains that her behavior was caused by the abuse but there was a time she chose to continue and aid in the con, she will spend her life believing manipulation and conning is normal behavior. 

Oh and her impending marriage - yea that’s a good idea (insert eye roll here)

Edited May 8, 2019 by 3girlsforus

[funky-rat]

18 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

Oh and her impending marriage - yea that’s a good idea (insert eye roll here)

Didn't hear about that.  Despite that fact that Mr. Funky had a relative who married while in prison (and never got out - died there), I don't think prison marriages should happen.  Marry if/when you get out.

[3girlsforus]

5 hours ago, funky-rat said:

Didn't hear about that.  Despite that fact that Mr. Funky had a relative who married while in prison (and never got out - died there), I don't think prison marriages should happen.  Marry if/when you get out.

I think she said they were planning on getting married after she’s released but even if they did, this is a spectacularly stupid idea. She never lived outside of her mother’s control, then she became a murderer, then she went to jail. Maybe some time becoming an independent adult would be in order before marrying someone she’s never actually dated. But I’m old fashioned that way.

[SunnyBeBe]

I think her sentence is too harsh too, but, it's actually intended for someone guilty of the very serious crime of murder.  And, if you are a murderer, that might be a light sentence. (10 years.)  But, to me, Gypsy was operating  in self defense.  I don't see it as anything unusual for a person who was tortured and butchered from birth to arrange for someone to stop their abuser.  The treatment by her mother was horrendous and I would not have recommended any incarceration, except for inpatient treatment for her obvious PTSD.  

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/tv/a27029906/gypsy-rose-now-today-the-act/

I think she will make a good contribution to society and a find happiness.  It's shocking to me that she has found forgiveness in her heart.  

[BookWoman56]

On 5/23/2019 at 3:15 PM, SunnyBeBe said:

I think her sentence is too harsh too, but, it's actually intended for someone guilty of the very serious crime of murder.  And, if you are a murderer, that might be a light sentence. (10 years.)  But, to me, Gypsy was operating  in self defense.  I don't see it as anything unusual for a person who was tortured and butchered from birth to arrange for someone to stop their abuser.  The treatment by her mother was horrendous and I would not have recommended any incarceration, except for inpatient treatment for her obvious PTSD.   

I also think that it's too easy for people raised in more or less normal circumstances to look at her situation as if she must be punished for violating legal and societal norms that were really just not part of her environment. She was raised in a setting where lying, cheating, and manipulating people was not just normal but actively encouraged. She apparently had minimal contact with people other than her mother, and somehow I don't see her mother instilling what we might think of as typical moral standards in Gypsy. So I don't think she can "admit" that she's guilty of manipulating her BF into killing her mother because she can't conceive of manipulation as something wrong. That is, she might technically know that having her mother killed was wrong but on a gut level, all she may have been aware of is that her mother was torturing her and holding her captive, and that she would do whatever it took to escape.

Will she manipulate others for the rest of her life? Probably so, but I doubt she has the capacity at present to distinguish why manipulation in some instances is perceived as okay (such as putting pressure on someone to take a job or go to a certain school because you think it's the right choice for that person) and yet in others it's wrong, such as convincing people your daughter can't walk when she in fact can. In Gypsy's case, had she not taken action, it's quite possible her mother would have eventually killed her either by design or by accident, because her fake illnesses and so forth she claimed Gypsy had kept escalating. Her mother wanted attention, benefits, and to be regarded as a martyr, and what's more apt to get those things than having a daughter who tragically didn't survive to adulthood? I don't generally condone violence, but IMO her mother got exactly what she deserved and the world is a better place without her in it. 

[funky-rat]

Munchausen By Proxy is scary stuff.  Look no further than Lacey Spears, who killed her son Garnett (and denies it to this day).  I don't believe she intended to kill him, but just keep him sick and gain more sympathy.  She also concocted elaborate backstories for sympathy and attention.  These cases mimicked each other quite a bit - not to the level of Gypsy's, but that could be some due to Garnett being so young.

https://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2015/03/07/lacey-spears-munchausens-role/24548933/

[funky-rat]

This one gets a little more detailed.  Scary stuff, but similar.  Nursing training (before she got pregnant).  Moving around.  Massive online presence.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/48-hours-lacey-spears-a-mother-accused/

[slf]

They just had a story in the news about a 7 year old girl named Olivia Gant who was believed to have died as a result of the many illnesses she had, only they autopsied her and it turns out she had none of them. Her mother has been arrested, it's believed she murdered the girl. A very similar case to this one, right down to the Make A Wish foundation helping out, all the doctors who thought it was all bullshit but didn't think to report the mother, etc.

That could have been Gypsy Rose but she killed her mother before her mother could kill her.

[Saffron3]

I 100% agree with this she is a manipulator. 

[greekmom]

I guess I have been living under a rock. I don't remember this story at all.

Gypsy still has that child like voice. I don't think she will ever lose it. 

Is 10 years enough? *Sigh* - so complicated. The girl was abused from the day she was born. I can see why she would feel that killing her mother was the only option as the system failed her, her father failed her, and her mother was a mastermind manipulator.  I bet even if Gypsy reached out to her grandparents they would have sent her back to her mother despite the fact that they disliked Dee Dee so much and knew what a POS she was.  

Gypsy getting married while incarcerated is another mistake.  Girl doesn't even know what it's like to be an adult.  How can she have an adult relationship with a man she hardly knows?  

The relationship with Nick Godejohn was a bit twisted on both sides.  

[oliviabenson]

Gypsy Rose is being released this December.

[Guest]

Whoa, that seems fast.

[Scarlett45]

On 10/2/2023 at 3:12 AM, CuriousParker said:

Whoa, that seems fast.

She served the 7 of the 10yrs no?

On 4/3/2023 at 6:46 AM, greekmom said:

Is 10 years enough? *Sigh* - so complicated. The girl was abused from the day she was born. I can see why she would feel that killing her mother was the only option as the system failed her, her father failed her, and her mother was a mastermind manipulator.  I bet even if Gypsy reached out to her grandparents they would have sent her back to her mother despite the fact that they disliked Dee Dee so much and knew what a POS she was.  

 

Yes. I firmly believe Dee Dee had what was coming to her and so many failed Gypsy. But she did plan it. She knew it was wrong. She knew she was a legal adult and could walk away (with what money and go where- I suppose she could’ve tried to go to her Dad’s??) I get WHY she did it, but I still think her actions were worthy of jail time given the premeditation and involving Nick. She clearly had battered person’s syndrome. 

[Scarlett45]

There’s the Lifetime Special that aired last night (my original post got eaten). Did anyone watch?

 

Im sitting down to watch now. Will report back. I didn’t realize it was a 6hrs special!

[Scarlett45]

Here’s the thread for the Prison Confessions.