In the 10 years since Gypsy Rose Blanchard helped orchestrate her mother’s killing, her life has taken a series of dramatic turns.
She served a prison sentence, married and divorced, reconnected with her former prison pen pal Ken Urker, and became a mother.
Now, at 35, Gypsy Rose is grieving Urker after he was discovered dead inside a Louisiana home on Oct. 1.
“You will always be my greatest love story,” Gypsy Rose shared in an Oct. 2 Instagram post that included videos of Urker with their daughter. “You will be remembered and loved forever.”
Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Difficult Childhood with Mom Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard
Gypsy Rose was born in 1991 to Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard and Rod Blanchard. After her parents separated, she remained in her mother’s care.
Rod told ABC News that Dee Dee, whom he characterized as “so controlling,” repeatedly said their daughter had a long list of serious health problems, including leukemia, paralysis and muscular dystrophy.
“I told Dee Dee she was the best mother. There’s no way I can do what she [was] doing,” he recalled. “You have a sick child. It’s constantly 24/7.”
Many of the alleged illnesses led to painful treatments and medical interventions. Investigators later concluded that Dee Dee appeared to have Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another, or FDIA—formerly called Munchausen syndrome by proxy—a condition in which a caregiver fabricates or exaggerates another person’s illness to gain sympathy and attention.
According to People, Dee Dee allegedly administered medication to produce symptoms, shaved Gypsy Rose’s head to make her appear to be undergoing chemotherapy and required her to use a wheelchair. Gypsy Rose said that when she resisted, her mother punished or physically assaulted her.
What Crime Did Gypsy Rose Blanchard Commit?
The years of alleged abuse reached a deadly climax in June 2015. Gypsy Rose, then 23, and Nicholas Godejohn—whom she had met through an online Christian dating website in 2012—made plans to kill Dee Dee, according to The Associated Press.
While Gypsy Rose remained hidden in the bathroom, Godejohn fatally stabbed Dee Dee with a knife Gypsy Rose had supplied, the outlet reported.
“I heard screaming,” Gypsy Rose said during an appearance on the We Need to Talk podcast in June. “It was a horrible sound. It was screaming. It was shock.”
The crime came to light after Gypsy Rose used her mother’s Facebook account to post the message, “That Bitch is dead!” Authorities arrested the pair within 48 hours.
How Long Was Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Prison?
Gypsy Rose acknowledged her involvement and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016, according to a statement issued by Greene County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Patterson.
Patterson said the evidence proved Gypsy Blanchard was responsible for the murder and that the killing was neither legally justified nor excusable. However, he argued that the amended charge and 10-year sentence appropriately balanced accountability with the “extreme mitigating circumstances” of the nearly 20 years of systematic abuse she endured as her mother allegedly pursued fraudulent schemes.
Although Gypsy Rose was sentenced to 10 years, she was released on parole in December 2023 after spending seven years behind bars.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Finds Love Behind Bars
While in prison, Gypsy Rose struck up a romance with Urker after he began writing her after seeing the true crime documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, according to Page Six.
Gypsy Rose and Ken became engaged, but their relationship eventually came to an end.
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In July 2022, while incarcerated at Missouri’s Chillicothe Correctional Center, she married Louisiana teacher Ryan Scott Anderson. The marriage ended soon after she was released from prison.
When Did Gypsy Rose Blanchard Become a Mom?
In April 2024, Gypsy Rose and Ken rekindled their relationship.
“We have a history that made for the perfect foundation for a new beginning,” she told TMZ. “We are together and in a wonderful place in our relationship. We know it is going to be a long road ahead but are excited for the future.”
The couple welcomed their daughter, Aurora Raina Urker, in December of that year, People reported.
What is Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Life Like Now?
Gypsy Rose admitted to People in 2024 that she and Ken faced struggles in their relationship, but they remained committed to each other.
“We have been through more than most couples have and have had challenges that would break many couples,” she shared. “But we still stand strong, and I don’t ever see that changing.”
The next year she told Tori Spelling on the MisSpelling podcast that she planned to move to Ken’s home in New Orleans because she had recently completed the requirements of her parole.
“Now, this week, I can move in with Ken, and we could be a full-time family,” she said. “And being on parole, we can go on vacation anywhere, have no restrictions.”
She also released her own memoir My Time to Stand in December 2024 and has been open about sharing her life.
What Happened to Ken Urker?
Ken and Gypsy Rose’s relationship came to a tragic end on Oct. 1.
Lafourche Sheriff’s Office Public Information Office Capt. Brennan Matherne told Oxygen that Ken was discovered “dead upon arrival” inside a Raceland, La. residence after authorities received a call at 6:15 p.m.
Authorities are still investigating Ken’s cause of death, but noted in a report provided to Oxygen that paraphernalia, a “brown powdery substance” and a handgun were found nearby.
“To this point in the investigation, we have found no evidence of foul play,” Matherne said. “I cannot say that it has been completely ruled out.”
Though an autopsy was completed the morning of Oct. 2, the coroner said in a statement to Oxygen that there is “no definitive cause of death” at this time.
“The case remains pending completion of toxicology testing,” the statement continued, “and no further information regarding the cause of death will be available until those results are received and the investigation is complete.”
Gypsy Rose shared videos of the couple and their daughter playing with silly phone filters and laughing together in her online tribute to her late partner.
“Ken was an amazing father and a man who was deeply loved,” she added in a statement to People. “He will forever be my soulmate and my red string, a connection that time, distance, and even death can never erase.”