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Fact Checking 'The Act' Ep 7: Gypsy Rose and Nicholas Godejohn Arrested for Dee Dee Blanchard’s Murder

By Kate Hudson | TV | April 26, 2019 |

By Kate Hudson | TV | April 26, 2019 |


Gypsy_Rose_Arrested.png

With only one more episode to go, episode 7 of The Act covered a lot of ground—mainly, how Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Nicholas Godejohn got caught for Dee Dee Blanchard’s murder. I’m going to break down what’s fact and what’s an artistic license for the most recent episode of The Act, although you’ll be surprised how much of this turns out to be true.

(Also, see the fact-checking for episodes 1-2, episode 3, episode 4, episode 5, and what the Real Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard (and Others) Look Like)

Did Gypsy Rose and Nicholas Godejohn Move in With His Parents?

Yes, this is 100% accurate. After getting a bus to Big Bend Wisconsin, Gypsy Rose and Nicholas were found living with Nick’s parents. This is also addressed in the HBO documentary, Mommy Dead and Dearest.

What About the Facebook Post that Said Dee Dee Was Dead?

That was a verbatim account of the two posts that Gypsy Rose and Nicholas put up, for Dee Dee’s body to be found.

The first post is still up on Facebook:

The second post is confirmed via multiple sources, including Buzzfeed’s excellent in-depth article.

Per Inside Edition:

Nicholas at Gypsy’s urging used his phone to post two updates to Dee Dee’s Facebook page. Gypsy later said she hoped someone would see the posts and alert authorities so her mother’s body would be found.

Who Discovered Dee Dee’s Body?

There is no Lacey and Mel in real life (although Lacey is based on Gypsy Rose’s neighbor in Springfield, Aleah Woodmansee.)

In reality, a neighbor named Kim Blanchard (no relation) saw the Facebook posts that Gypsy Rose and Nicholas made on Dee Dee’s account, called the police, and went over to the home with her husband to check on the Blanchard women. The police were unable to enter the house without a search warrant, and not seeing any sign of people inside, Kim’s husband crawled through an open window. He did not find Dee Dee’s body, but he did see Gypsy Rose’s wheelchairs left in the home, with no sign of Gypsy Rose.

Per Buzzfeed:

The search warrant didn’t come through until 10:45 that night. The police found Dee Dee’s body in the bedroom. She’d been stabbed and had been dead for several days. But there was no sign of Gypsy.

How Soon Were Gypsy Rose and Nicholas Godejohn Arrested?

Dee Dee’s body was found late on a Sunday night, and Gypsy and Nicholas were arrested the following day. Per the Springfield News Leader:

Friends became concerned on Sunday when a Facebook post made to a joint account for Gypsy, and Dee Dee took credit for killing Dee Dee. According to a probable cause statement, authorities traced the post to Godejohn’s residence in Wisconsin.

Dee Dee was found stabbed to death in her home just north of Springfield on Sunday night.
Gypsy Blanchard and Godejohn were detained Monday in Wisconsin after a brief standoff with Waukesha County Sheriff’s deputies, the statement says.

Did Nicholas Confess in His Interrogation?

Yes. The Act, as far as I can tell, did an almost verbatim reenactment of both Gypsy Rose’s and Nicholas’ interrogations. The HBO doc Mommy Dead and Dearest had clips of both.
Women’s Health Mag has broken it down more extensively but The Act covered it well, and very true to life.

So, Nicholas Confessed and Gypsy Rose Initially Denied Killing Dee Dee Blanchard?

Yes.

Gypsy Rose initially denied playing a role in the murder of Dee Dee, but she did eventually confess.

Was Nicholas Godejohn Arrested for Masturbating in Public, at a McDonalds?

Yes. The Act was correct in that as well—although at the time, Nick said he wasn’t fondling, but scratching himself. Per Patch:

Godejohn arrived at the Waukesha McDonald’s at 10:30 a.m. March 11 and stayed there with his laptop until police were called at 7:18 p.m. The shift manager contacted police after a customer complained and the shift manager walked past to find Godejohn masturbating to the pornography, the complaint states.

Officers arrested Godejohn at the restaurant and found a large folding knife in his pocket, according to the complaint.

What About That Press Conference?

Yup, the line “things are not always as they appear” is verbatim what was said. The Act pulled a lot of exact quotes into the script for this episode, as you can tell based upon the interrogation transcripts linked above, and the embed, below.

I’ll be back next week with the final fact check for the last episode of The Act.



Header Image Source: Hulu/YouTube