Testimony has begun in the murder trial for a Wisconsin man accused of killing his then-girlfriend’s mother, Clauddine Blanchard, who was allegedly abusing her daughter at the time.
Missouri prosecutors have accused Nicholas Godejohn, 29, of being obsessed with ex-girlfriend Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s mother and plotting the June 14, 2015, stabbing death. On the first day of court proceedings, the court heard the confession Godejohn gave to investigators—where he admitted that he considered raping the 48-year-old before killing her, according to Rolling Stone.
The judge reportedly denied the defense bid to have that part of Godejohn’s admission excluded, arguing it was irrelevant since he didn’t rape her. However, prosecutors said its inclusion was crucial since it proved premeditation, which is required for a first-degree murder conviction.
On Monday, the court reportedly also heard part of the hour-and-a-half confession where Godejohn said he killed Clauddine for Gypsy Rose, who was 23 at the time.
“So you wouldn’t have done it if somebody else would’ve asked,” the interrogator is heard asking in the recorded interview, according to OzarksFirst.com.
“No. There’s no way I would’ve did it for anyone else,” he allegedly replies.
“I truly do worship her to the point where there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
The slain Missouri mother is widely believed to have had Munchausen syndrome by proxy (more commonly called factitious disorder imposed on another), which the Mayo Clinic says is when “someone falsely claims that another person has physical or psychological signs or symptoms of illness, or causes injury or disease in another person with the intention of deceiving others.”
Rolling Stone reported that Clauddine claimed Gypsy Rose had leukemia, muscular dystrophy, asthma, and had the mental capacity of a 7-year-old. To keep up the facade, she allegedly had her daughter endure several traumatic conditions, including keeping her confined to a wheelchair, having her head shaved, and causing most of her teeth to rot by administering a myriad of unnecessary medications.
On Tuesday, a court heard a recorded conversation between a journalist and Godejohn where he’s heard saying that Gypsy Rose gave him the gloves he would wear to kill her mother.
“My darker part of me took over,” Godejohn is heard telling the journalist from Greene County Jail, according to the Springfield News-Leader.
A computer forensic analyst took the stand Tuesday and presented texts sent between Godejohn and Gypsy Rose on the day of the murder. They allegedly go by alter egos when Godejohn says he will need duct tape, asking his girlfriend if her mother is a light sleeper and if her bedroom floor squeaks.
Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2015 and is currently serving a 10-year sentence. It’s not clear whether she’ll be called to the stand to testify.
[Featured Image: Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Clauddine Blanchard/Greene County Sheriff’s Office]
