In June 2015, Missouri shocked when Dee Dee Blanchard was brutally stabbed to death in her home. Her daughter, Gypsy Rose, and Gypsy’s boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were charged for the premeditated murder. But who exactly is Nicholas, and what role did he play in this twisted true crime story?
Nicholas Godejohn came from Big Bend, Wisconsin, where those who knew him described him as a troubled loner and outcast. Neighbors called him odd, creepy, and off-putting. He had been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and struggled with social skills from a young age.
As a teenager, Nicholas developed several online personas and became active in role-playing communities. One persona he created was a vampire-obsessed alter ego named Victor. Under this persona, he met Gypsy online, who also adopted her own fantasy identity named Ruby.
The two fostered an intense romance through their pretend characters, which they carried over when using real names. Both were vulnerable outcasts: Nicholas had no job, education past high school, or prospects in life, while Gypsy lived as a perpetual victim under her mother’s coercive control.
Their virtual connection offered escape and comfort in their mutual isolation. But when the relationship turned sexual, Dee Dee discovered the communication and forbade Gypsy from contacting Nicholas ever again.
Gypsy managed to secretly reach out to Nicholas despite Dee Dee’s efforts by hiding a hidden cell phone. On the secret phone, an elaborate plan formed between the pair to murder Dee Dee so they could finally be together.
Nicholas made the trip to Missouri and on June 14, 2015, he brutally stabbed Dee Dee to death at Gypsy’s urging while Gypsy hid during the gruesome murder. Afterwards, the couple disappeared to Wisconsin before police eventually tracked them down.
Both Nicholas and Gypsy initially pled not guilty, but later Gypsy accepted a plea deal. At her trial, evidence presented portrayed Nicholas as the mastermind who preyed on her vulnerability and innocence to execute the heinous crime.
However, many following the case felt Nicholas was also trapped in the web of manipulation spun by Gypsy. As an older adult, he should have stopped such a radical plan, but his limited mental capacity and social deficiencies made him desperate to please Gypsy at all costs. His defense lawyer described him as having the mental age of a young teenager.
At trial, the prosecutor painted Nicholas as a cold and methodical killer who relished in violence and fantasy. But interviews with his family revealed a very different side: an isolated, impressionable man who struggled to distinguish fantasy from reality after a lifetime of bullying and rejection.
Was Nicholas a calculating criminal mastermind, or a pawn used by Gypsy to gain freedom from her mother? In the end, the jury delivered a guilty verdict. He is currently serving life in prison without parole for Dee Dee’s murder. Despite his poor choices, many still wonder if Nicholas may be as much a victim in this complex case as Gypsy herself.
The tragic murder destroyed so many lives, including Nicholas Godejohn’s. His story highlights how those who lack community and support often make the poorest decisions. Perhaps if Nicholas had received proper intervention, therapy and medication, this terrifying outcome could have been avoided.
