Stoic Gypsy sits through first local court appearance
Gypsy Blanchard pleaded not guilty Monday to two charges in a bizarre case in which she is accused of ordering her mother's killing.
Blanchard, 23, made her first court appearance in Greene County at an arraignment on Monday morning. She walked into a packed courtroom and pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the stabbing death of her mother, 48-year-old Clauddinnea "Dee Dee" Blanchard.
Gypsy was led into the courtroom Monday morning wearing a black and white striped jail uniform. She sat down and looked straight forward throughout the arraignment.
Gypsy did not speak other than whispering a few words to her lawyer before being led out of the courtroom.
Friends and neighbors believed Gypsy was disabled and feared she was in danger when Dee Dee's body was discovered in the family's home just north of Springfield on June 14.
Investigators quickly discovered, however, that Gypsy can walk and may have had something to do with Dee Dee's death.
By June 16, Gypsy and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Nicholas Godejohn, had been arrested in Big Bend, Wisconsin and charged with murder.
Court documents say Gypsy handed Godejohn gloves and a knife and told him to kill her mother, which he did.
A probable cause statement says the couple then stole several thousand dollars from Dee Dee's safe, mailed the murder weapon to Wisconsin and took a Greyhound bus to Godejohn's residence two states away.
Authorities believe Gypsy took credit for Dee Dee's death with a vulgar Facebook post, and that is what led them to discover the body.
In another twist in the case, authorities have said the Blanchards — who claimed to be Hurricane Katrina victims — were running a long financial fraud scheme that included receiving community and government funds.
At least one family member has said Dee Dee imprisoned Gypsy and forced Gypsy to pretend that she was disabled.
Gypsy's lawyer, public defender Michael Stanfield, thanked the community for discovering so much information about possible fraud involving Dee Dee.
"At this point I would just like to thank the police, the media and all of the citizens who have helped to so quickly uncover the scope of what Dee Dee was involved in," Stanfield said. "We are still trying to understand exactly how large the activities were that Dee Dee was involved in."
Gypsy is being held in Greene County Jail on $1 million bond. Godejohn is still in custody in Wisconsin, pending extradition to Missouri.
Stanfield told the Judge Ron Carrier that he plans on asking for Gypsy's case to be severed from Godejohn's case.
Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson said he wants Gypsy and Godejohn's cases to stay joined together.
Judge Carrier is expected to rule July 20 on whether or not to split the cases. Gypsy's next preliminary hearing was tentatively set for July 24 at 1 p.m.
Gypsy's father attended Monday's court appearance but declined to comment.
Authorities spelled the family's last name "Blancharde" in initial court documents. But the most recent search warrant unsealed in the case says the family's name is actually spelled "Blanchard." Gypsy's attorney Michael Stanfield also spelled the name without an "e."