Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was convicted of the brutal Murder of her abusive Mother, expressed regret ahead of her early release from prison.
In an exclusive interview with People,
Blanchard, 32, who will be released early from a Missouri prison on Dec. 28, spoke openly about conspiring to kill her Mother Clauddine āDee Deeā Blanchard with her then-boyfriend Nicholas āNickā Godejohn,Ā who carried out the Murder.
āI was desperate to get out of that situation,ā she said.
However, she also expressed remorse over her decision and shared what she would do differently now.
āIf I had another chance to redo everything, I donāt know if I would go back to when I was a child and tell my aunts and uncles that Iām not sick and mommy makes me sick,ā Blanchard explained. āOr, if I would travel back to just the point of that conversation with Nick and tell him, āYou know what, Iām going to go tell the police everything.'ā
She admitted she does ākind of struggle with that.ā
āNobody will ever hear me say Iām glad sheās dead or Iām proud of what I did. I regret it every single day,ā Blanchard stated.
In September, she was granted parole, two years before the end of her 10-year sentence for second-degree Murder.
In July 2016, Blanchard pleaded guilty to her part in the Murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Godejohn, 32, was charged with first-degree Murder for stabbing Blanchardās Mother to death and was sentenced to life in prison for first-degree Murder without the possibility of parole, according to theĀ People.
Following her arrest, she was discovered to be a victim of Munchausen by proxy syndrome, a form of child abuse where āthe caretaker of a child, most often a Mother, either makes up fake symptoms or causes real symptoms to make it look like the child is sick,ā according to Medline Plus.
According to People, āDee Deeā Blanchard fabricated her daughterās illnesses, claiming she had leukemia, epilepsy, and muscular dystrophy by the time Blanchard was 7 years old.
As a result, she was required by her Mother to use a wheelchair although she had no issues walking, had painful feeding tubes inserted into her, and her head was shaved due to the lie by her Mother that she had leukemia. āDee Deeā Blanchard was able to deceive family, friends, and doctors into believing her daughter was ill.
āObviously I knew that I could walk and didnāt need a feeding tube, but everything else was a really big confusion for me,ā she shared.
Speaking about her alleged epilepsy diagnosis, Blanchard said, āWhenever Iād question it, my Mother would say Iād had a seizure the night before and didnāt remember. There was always an excuse.ā
Additionally, she spoke about her Motherās reaction when she would stand up for herself.
āI would voice concerns, being like, āI really donāt feel like I need this,ā and she would get really, really upset with me and start manipulating me,ā she said.
Blanchard recalled her Mother manipulating her with presents when she was younger.
āSheād say āIf you do well at the hospital then weāre going to Toys āRā Us to buy a new Barbie,'ā she shared.
During her interview, she urged others who are also in an abusive environment to not follow in her footsteps.
āI want to make sure that people in abusive relationships do not resort to Murder,ā she said. āIt may seem like every avenue is closed off but there is always another way. Do anything, but donāt take this course of action.ā
Speaking about her release, Blanchard, who found love and married Lousiana teacher Ryan Anderson, 37, while in prison, told People she is āon the eve of happiness.ā
Nonetheless, she is still coming to terms with her dark past despite years of self-work, reflection, and therapy.
āItās a journey. Iām still really trying to come to a place of forgiveness for her, for myself and the situation. I still love my mom,ā she said.
She continued, āAnd Iām starting to understand that it was something that was maybe out of her control, like an addict with an impulse. That helps me with coping and accepting what happened.ā