'Today starts the beginning of her life': Gypsy Rose Blanchard goes shopping on being released after serving time for mom's murder
CHILLICOTHE, MISSOURI: Gypsy Rose Blanchard could hardly contain her smile as she browsed for shoes on her first day of freedom after nearly 10 years in prison.
Just hours after her release from Chillicothe Correctional Center in Missouri early Thursday morning, December 28, Blanchard headed straight to the mall with her husband, Ryan Scott Anderson, as reported by TMZ.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard spotted buying new shoes upon release from prison
Photos published by various media outlets showed the 32-year-old newly freed woman beaming brightly while trying on shoes at a store inside the Missouri mall. Dressed comfortably in an oversized Adidas jacket, jeans, and a blue and white patterned long-sleeved shirt, Blanchard looked relaxed and optimistic about her future.
By her side was her devoted husband Anderson, who married Blanchard while she was incarcerated. Their commitment to stand by one another was evident as Anderson accompanied Blanchard on the monumental first days and hours after her prison term.
For Blanchard, the first stop to get new shoes seemed symbolic of the new lease on life her release represented. “I’m ready for freedom. I’m ready to expand and I think that goes for every facet of my life,” Blanchard told PEOPLE Magazine on the morning of her release.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard was convicted for acting as an accomplice
Blanchard, now 32, has spent nearly a third of her life behind bars. In 2015, she was convicted as an accomplice in her mother Clauddine 'Dee Dee' Blanchard’s murder. Though Blanchard did not physically commit the murder, she did encourage her former boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to stab her mother to death in 2015.
The reasoning was complicated, stemming from a lifetime under her mother’s control. Dee Dee had fabricated countless devastating illnesses and conditions to provide for her daughter over the years to garner sympathy and charitable donations from their community.
Blanchard was perfectly healthy, while Dee Dee seemingly suffered from psychiatric issues that drove her to gain attention by exaggerating and inducing ailments in her daughter.
When Blanchard began secretly seeing Godejohn online as a young adult, she felt trapped, helpless to free herself from her mother’s domineering web of lies. So she persuaded Godejohn to kill Dee Dee so she could finally live her own life. At trial, her attorney emphasized just how desperate her circumstances were to motivate such an extreme solution.
Internet erupts with support for Gypsy Rose Blanchard
The online sphere erupted with support and goodwill for Blanchard as news of her re-entry into society spread. Users across various platforms expressed their elation and offered heartening messages for her future.
"Today starts the beginning of her life. So happy for her," remarked one Facebook user. "Good for her! Live your life! Welcome to a real home!" echoed another user.
Among the well-wishers, there were notes of concern and cautious optimism. "I hope her husband is good to her!" expressed a user. "So happy for her she has a chance to live," conveyed another person.
"I’m glad she’s out! Good for her!" shared one more user. Amidst this wave of positivity, a resounding call for embracing life emerged, encapsulated by a user's spirited declaration: "Live life to the fullest!!!!"
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
