Gypsy Rose Blanchard's release from prison prompted social media users to question why the Menendez Brothers, who also claim parental abuse, are still serving life without parole.
Gypsy Rose was released from prison on parole on Thursday, December 28, after spending eight years behind bars for second-degree murder in connection with the death of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard.
Highlights
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard's parole sparks new questions about the Menendez Brothers' life sentences.
- Gypsy Rose was jailed for second-degree murder after suffering Munchausen by proxy abuse from her mother.
- Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life without parole for killing their parents after alleged years of sexual abuse.
She was granted parole in September, with the Missouri Department of Corrections scheduling her release for December 28, three years before her release date.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's release from prison sparked questions about why the Menendez Brothers, who also claim parental abuse, are still serving life sentences
Image credits: Ted Soqui/Sygma/Getty Images
Gypsy Rose and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas “Nick” Godejohn, conspired to kill her mom Dee Dee after the woman had subjected Gypsy Rose to painful and needless medical procedures for years, with some still affecting Gypsy Rose to this day.
News reports over the years revealed that Gypsy Rose was a victim of Munchausen by proxy, a form of abuse in which a caretaker exaggerates or induces illness in a child for attention and sympathy.
One of the many forms of abuse Dee Dee inflicted on her daughter was forcing her to use painful feeding tubes, and making friends and family believe she had leukemia after shaving Gypsy Rose’s head. She would also trick doctors into diagnosing and treating different illnesses.
In a similar tragedy, Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents after claiming years of sexual abuse.
Image credits: Dr. Phil
They were subsequently sentenced to life in prison without parole in the 1990s, sparking social media users to question why Gypsy Rose was released on parole, but the siblings, infamously dubbed the “Menendez Brothers”, didn’t get a shot at a second chance.
One TikToker said in a video: "So you mean to tell me that Gypsy Rose was released from prison but the Menendez Brothers had life without parole and they're still in there?"
"Because from my knowledge, they were in there for the same reason," the user added.
Gypsy Rose was released from prison on parole on December 28, after spending eight years behind bars for the second-degree murder of her mother
Image credits: Dee Gyp Blancharde
Another social media user exclaimed: "You finally did right with Gypsy, release [the Menendez Brothers.] They were victims of so much!
“Their court case was so sad to watch them breaking down over and over again and people just thinking it was for money, it's truly sickening to me."
Another TikToker expressed in a video: "If Gypsy Rose can get out of prison, so should the Menendez Brothers.”
A separate individual chimed in: "They released Gypsy Rose, now it's time to release the Menendez Brothers!"
Image credits: COURT TV
Lyle and Erik gained infamy in the early 1990s for brutally murdering their wealthy parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hills home in 1989.
The brothers initially staged the crime scene to look like a random act of violence, but their lavish spending and questionable behavior raised suspicions.
The trial revealed a history of alleged abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics, leading to a sensationalized case that captivated the public.
In 1996, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
In a similar tragedy, Lyle and Erik Menendez murdered their parents after claiming years of sexual abuse
Image credits: COURT TV
"So you mean to tell me that Gypsy Rose was released from prison but the Menendez Brothers had life without parole and they're still in there?" a TikToker said
Appearing on Rosie O’Donnell’s podcast “Onward”, Lyle recalled the time they were put on trial: “There was no internet. There was no contacting friends. There was no school counselor asking what’s going on at home.
“Nobody knew there was a problem with sex abuse with boys. Nobody asked those questions. There was just no cultural mechanism to believe or to understand what was going on,” Lyle said.
During the brothers’ first six-month trial in 1993, prosecutors said Lyle and Erik purchased shotguns shortly before they used them to pre-meditatively kill their parents for financial gain, as they stood to inherit a substantial fortune, a $14 million inheritance, to be precise, Court TV reported.
"If Gypsy Rose can get out of prison, so should the Menendez brothers," another woman argued
At the time, the defense reportedly argued self-defense, saying the boys suffered from years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their father, Jose.
According to testimony, Jose was an emotionally distant and demanding father with a short temper who quickly turned to physical violence to discipline his sons. The brothers also alleged their mother, Kitty, was aware of the abuse but did nothing to stop it.
The Menendez brothers’ first trial ended in two hung juries and a mistrial.
But 34 years later, Lyle said the family feels hopeful as in May 2023, attorneys of the Menendez brothers reportedly filed a habeas petition citing new evidence supporting sexual abuse allegations that they hope will overturn their clients’ convictions and life sentences.
"It's time to release the Menendez brothers," a separate TikToker demanded
As per Court TV, the evidence includes a letter Erik Menendez sent his cousin eight months before the murders, as well as rape allegations by ex-Menudo member Roy Rosselló, who revealed details of the alleged rape and sexual assault he suffered at the hands of Jose Menendez in a Peacock docuseries, Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed.
“The need to be recognized and believed for what happened to you is really powerful for healing. So, to go through a whole trial where there’s a whole prosecutor’s office trying to tell the public this is not true, don’t believe it… It’s a horrifying thing in itself,” Lyle said.
People claimed the siblings should've "never been to prison"
