(NewsNation) —Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who was convicted of plotting to kill her mother, was released from prison early Thursday morning after serving more than seven years behind bars.
After her release, she took to social media, posting her “first selfie of freedom.”
Gypsy first made headlines after her mother, “Dee Dee” Blanchard, was found stabbed to death in her Springfield, Missouri home in June 2015.
Some experts believe Gypsy was a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy — a condition where a parent, guardian or caretaker fabricates symptoms to make it look like their child is sick.
Throughout her childhood, Gypsy was forced to use a wheelchair and undergo unnecessary medical procedures. Dee Dee subjected Gypsy to false medical diagnoses shortly after she was born, first claiming the infant suffered from sleep apnea, according to attorneys.
When Gypsy was 8, Dee Dee began claiming more serious illnesses, like leukemia and muscular dystrophy, which required a wheelchair and feeding tube.
Years of psychological and physical abuse are said to be what drove Gypsy to seek out her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn to help carry out Dee Dee’s murder.
“It’s one of the most difficult things that I have ever been involved in. Gypsy has gone through things that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone and to finally be at the end of this, for her to come out and start living a normal life, is wonderful,” attorney Mike Stanfield told NewsNation affiliate KOLR while discussing the release of his client, Gypsy.