[Court is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. ET. Watch the trial in the player above with our expert legal analysis. For a raw feed, scroll to the bottom of this article.]
The defense is expected to start their case Thursday morning in the murder trial of 29-year-old Missouri man Nicholas Godejohn. Prosecutors in Greene County, Missouri say he fatally stabbed 48-year-old Dee Dee Blanchard in June 2015 at the request of the victim’s daughter Gypsy Blanchard. The defendant’s attorneys say their client lacks the mental capacity to commit first-degree murder. In opening statements on Tuesday, lawyer Andrew Mead said that expert witnesses would testify that his client is on the autism spectrum and has a low IQ.
Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday. Testimony that day leaned heavily on forensic evidence. Jurors saw pictures of the crime scene, Godejohn’s clothes, and the murder weapon.
#GodejohnTrial – Shoes found in Godejohn’s bedroom had blood stains. pic.twitter.com/ItWctrM4RG
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) November 14, 2018
Gypsy told multiple media outlets that her mother was abusive, and forced her to pretend to be sick in order to cheat charities out of money. In the arrest report obtained by Law&Crime, deputies discovered Dee Dee’s body at her home in Greene County. They used disturbing messages posted on the victim’s account to find Gypsy and Godejohn together at the defendant’s home in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Gypsy allegedly admitted to writing the posts so authorities would quickly find her mother.
Another picture shown to jurors on Wednesday showed a ziplock bag full of cash. The label read “nest egg savings.” This money was allegedly found in Godejohn’s Wisconsin residence. Prosecutors are saying that Gypsy stole this money from Dee Dee’s safe.
Jurors saw surveillance footage which allegedly showed the couple after the murder. They were seen leaving a Days Inn in Missouri and entering a local Greyhound bus station for Wisconsin, authorities said.
Text messages from just days before the killing showed that Gypsy and Godejohn were ostensibly excited to see one another. She asked him about how dangerous it was in Big Bend, where he lived. He wrote that crime is rarely reported. Messages continue up to the moments before the killing on the early morning of June 10, 2015.
In the opening statement on Tuesday, Mead acknowledged that Godejohn played a part in killing Blanchard.
“Nick went through with Gypsy’s plans,” the attorney said.
Evidence shown Wednesday helped establish Godejohn’s role in the murder. Prosecutors say he used a knife given to him by Gypsy, and wore blue latex gloves.
#GodejohnTrial – Blood found on the red part of the handle contained a mixture of 2 individuals. Dee Dee and Godejohn. The blood where the red part meets the black part was a mixture of 3 people, Dee Dee, Gypsy & Godejohn pic.twitter.com/rNc3oSeMPQ
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) November 14, 2018
Testimony showed that Dee Dee’s, Gypsy’s, and Godejohn’s blood were found on the weapon. Godejohn’s blood was also found on a roll of toilet paper in the Blanchard bathroom, said DNA analyst Aaron Exner.
In the arrest report, Godejohn told investigators he cut his finger during the killing, and went inside the bathroom (where Gypsy was waiting) in order to tell her. In confession footage shown to jurors on Tuesday, the defendant showed a cut on one of his hands.
Gypsy Blanchard pleaded guilty in 2016 to second-degree murder. In his opening statement, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Chapman said that she first brought up the murder plot in May 2014, and said Godejohn had over a year to deliberate on the idea.
[Image via Press Pool; Godejohn on right]
