1 00:00:02,042 --> 00:00:04,167 - There was emotional and physical abuse. 2 00:00:04,208 --> 00:00:09,000 I started to feel like it was either her or me. 3 00:00:09,042 --> 00:00:10,708 He sent me a text that said, 4 00:00:10,792 --> 00:00:13,500 "Tonight be the night that we run away together." 5 00:00:13,625 --> 00:00:17,667 I had a blonde wig so no one would recognize me. 6 00:00:17,708 --> 00:00:20,417 That's when he tells me he couldn't leave the state. 7 00:00:20,542 --> 00:00:22,333 (tense music) 8 00:00:22,417 --> 00:00:23,958 Once she got me inside the house, 9 00:00:24,042 --> 00:00:25,500 she chained me to the bed. 10 00:00:26,917 --> 00:00:30,333 We both went into the men's stall. 11 00:00:30,375 --> 00:00:36,167 It was the first time that I had ever seen a penis, 12 00:00:36,208 --> 00:00:38,583 other than what happened with my grandfather. 13 00:00:42,708 --> 00:00:45,000 and I pulled the trigger. 14 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:49,125 ♪ No, you could never take my soul ♪ 15 00:00:52,833 --> 00:00:55,667 (birds chirping) (tense music) 16 00:01:03,792 --> 00:01:07,833 If I get paroled and it is the earliest parole date, 17 00:01:07,917 --> 00:01:10,667 it would be at the end of 2023. 18 00:01:10,750 --> 00:01:13,583 It would mean that I can start living my life. 19 00:01:15,583 --> 00:01:16,667 When I was younger, 20 00:01:16,708 --> 00:01:19,167 my mother told me flat out, 21 00:01:19,250 --> 00:01:22,250 "There are some things that you will never do." 22 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:27,875 But a year after release, 23 00:01:27,958 --> 00:01:30,833 I expect myself to be fully independent 24 00:01:30,958 --> 00:01:34,167 and have my own place, my own car, 25 00:01:34,292 --> 00:01:35,792 earning my own money. 26 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,083 My mother cooked, cleaned, did everything. 27 00:01:41,167 --> 00:01:42,458 I did nothing. 28 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:45,750 And I have this opinion about myself 29 00:01:45,833 --> 00:01:49,667 that I have to lean on everybody for support 30 00:01:49,708 --> 00:01:53,042 because I just don't feel like I could do it on my own 31 00:01:53,125 --> 00:01:54,458 and do it correct. 32 00:01:59,167 --> 00:02:01,292 (phone ringing) 33 00:02:01,375 --> 00:02:03,000 - [Operator] This call is from a correctional facility 34 00:02:03,125 --> 00:02:05,250 and maybe monitored and recorded. 35 00:02:05,333 --> 00:02:06,667 - [Gypsy] Hey, can you hear me okay? 36 00:02:06,750 --> 00:02:09,250 - Yes, how are you? 37 00:02:09,333 --> 00:02:11,667 - [Gypsy] Oh, I'm doing all right. 38 00:02:11,792 --> 00:02:12,792 How are you? 39 00:02:12,875 --> 00:02:14,167 - I'm good. 40 00:02:14,250 --> 00:02:15,542 - [Gypsy] I've been doing some self-reflecting 41 00:02:15,667 --> 00:02:17,083 over the last few days 42 00:02:18,167 --> 00:02:21,708 because, I mean, such a big moment for me, 43 00:02:21,833 --> 00:02:23,167 a pivotal moment in my life. 44 00:02:24,750 --> 00:02:26,208 - When you do get out, 45 00:02:26,292 --> 00:02:28,250 I'm definitely always gonna be a big part of your life. 46 00:02:28,375 --> 00:02:34,667 But what do you think you're gonna need from me as a father? 47 00:02:34,750 --> 00:02:37,833 - [Gypsy] My mom had told me so much crap, 48 00:02:37,875 --> 00:02:41,458 and I don't know what's the truth and what's a lie. 49 00:02:41,542 --> 00:02:45,000 And we're gonna have to dive into some hard conversation. 50 00:02:45,083 --> 00:02:46,542 So I just need you to tell me 51 00:02:46,625 --> 00:02:48,333 what's the truth and what's the lie? 52 00:02:48,375 --> 00:02:49,708 What she told me. 53 00:02:51,292 --> 00:02:53,750 (pensive music) 54 00:02:53,833 --> 00:02:56,208 - I wasn't the best dad. 55 00:02:56,208 --> 00:02:57,125 Should've went and checked. 56 00:02:57,208 --> 00:02:59,208 And I had suspicions. 57 00:03:00,583 --> 00:03:01,667 Man, I'm not trying to make excuses, 58 00:03:01,708 --> 00:03:05,625 but it was hard not to believe Dee Dee. 59 00:03:07,458 --> 00:03:09,125 Doctors believed that, 60 00:03:09,208 --> 00:03:11,250 her friends, neighborhood, 61 00:03:11,375 --> 00:03:14,667 everyone believed those lies. 62 00:03:19,417 --> 00:03:23,542 - Since childhood, my mother lied about my age. 63 00:03:24,542 --> 00:03:27,375 When I thought that I was 15, 64 00:03:27,458 --> 00:03:30,167 I found my Medicaid card, 65 00:03:30,208 --> 00:03:32,375 and it said that I was actually 19. 66 00:03:33,625 --> 00:03:38,292 At that time, I met this guy Dan at Visioncon, 67 00:03:38,375 --> 00:03:40,167 and he kept telling me, 68 00:03:40,250 --> 00:03:42,833 "You're an adult and you could leave." 69 00:03:43,917 --> 00:03:46,917 And so I ran away. 70 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:50,208 I thought that it was a possibility that he was the one, 71 00:03:52,208 --> 00:03:53,583 but he doesn't even have a car. 72 00:03:53,667 --> 00:03:56,000 He doesn't even have a place of his own. 73 00:03:56,083 --> 00:03:57,750 He's staying at his friend's house. 74 00:03:57,833 --> 00:04:00,000 I'm like, okay, 75 00:04:00,083 --> 00:04:02,292 this is not what I expected at all. 76 00:04:05,125 --> 00:04:09,500 That night, my mother had awoken 77 00:04:09,583 --> 00:04:12,000 probably about four o'clock in the morning, 78 00:04:12,083 --> 00:04:14,333 noticed that I wasn't there. 79 00:04:14,375 --> 00:04:17,583 She then goes to look around the house, 80 00:04:17,708 --> 00:04:21,417 and my cell phone fell out of my backpack. 81 00:04:22,542 --> 00:04:25,667 So she sees the messages between me and Dan, 82 00:04:25,750 --> 00:04:28,208 and she instantly knows who I'm with. 83 00:04:29,542 --> 00:04:32,167 Then she begins to call their mutual friends 84 00:04:32,250 --> 00:04:33,875 from the convention, 85 00:04:33,875 --> 00:04:37,833 and one of them told my mother where I was, 86 00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:40,375 and there she was able to come and find me. 87 00:04:43,625 --> 00:04:46,625 It's about eight o'clock in the morning. 88 00:04:46,708 --> 00:04:48,375 She arrives in the door, and at this point, 89 00:04:48,500 --> 00:04:50,167 me and him are sleeping. 90 00:04:50,208 --> 00:04:53,000 His friend was like, "Your mother is here." 91 00:04:53,125 --> 00:04:55,833 And my heart just sinks to the ground. 92 00:04:55,958 --> 00:04:57,875 And I see her walk in the door. 93 00:04:59,208 --> 00:05:00,417 And I sit up, 94 00:05:00,500 --> 00:05:03,333 and the first thing I say to her is, 95 00:05:03,375 --> 00:05:05,917 "I know I'm 19 and I can be here if I want to." 96 00:05:07,625 --> 00:05:10,000 And she's like, "Where are my pills?" 97 00:05:11,708 --> 00:05:14,000 I stole her pain medication. 98 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,625 So I give her her pills back. 99 00:05:16,583 --> 00:05:18,500 She's like, "Where's the money?" 100 00:05:18,583 --> 00:05:22,250 I give her the money back that I stole out of her wallet. 101 00:05:22,333 --> 00:05:23,833 It was about $1,000. 102 00:05:24,875 --> 00:05:28,667 And she's like, "Can we talk on the porch?" 103 00:05:30,750 --> 00:05:33,750 We go sit on the porch and she's like, 104 00:05:33,833 --> 00:05:39,417 "If you come back with me, I will let you see him." 105 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:42,083 And at that point, I believed her. 106 00:05:44,208 --> 00:05:47,708 I was completely dependent on her, 107 00:05:49,375 --> 00:05:51,083 and so I went back with her. 108 00:05:54,583 --> 00:05:56,458 - Of course Gypsy would concede. 109 00:05:56,542 --> 00:05:59,833 After that episode, and even others 110 00:05:59,875 --> 00:06:02,500 where she tried to get a little bit of independence 111 00:06:02,542 --> 00:06:07,708 because her utter survival depended on her mother. 112 00:06:08,833 --> 00:06:11,000 (gentle music) 113 00:06:11,083 --> 00:06:12,625 - On the way back, 114 00:06:12,708 --> 00:06:15,458 I was confronting her about my age. 115 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:18,542 I never confronted her before that point. 116 00:06:18,625 --> 00:06:21,125 And she tried to convince me otherwise. 117 00:06:22,417 --> 00:06:25,500 And so she stopped at a Staples, 118 00:06:25,583 --> 00:06:29,833 and she had a copy of my birth certificate. 119 00:06:29,917 --> 00:06:33,167 And she comes out about 10 minutes later, 120 00:06:33,250 --> 00:06:35,625 and it says 1995. 121 00:06:36,750 --> 00:06:38,333 - [Interviewer] How did she modify it? 122 00:06:38,417 --> 00:06:41,125 - I'm thinking Wite-Out. (laughs) 123 00:06:42,625 --> 00:06:44,833 She said, "Here's your actual birth certificate. 124 00:06:44,875 --> 00:06:47,667 And I'm your mother, you should trust me. 125 00:06:47,750 --> 00:06:50,375 If you didn't believe me, now here's proof." 126 00:06:50,458 --> 00:06:51,500 - [Interviewer] Did you believe her? 127 00:06:51,542 --> 00:06:53,000 - I did believe her, yes. 128 00:06:54,708 --> 00:06:57,000 I wanted her to be telling the truth 129 00:06:57,083 --> 00:07:03,458 because I still loved her and she was my mother. 130 00:07:06,292 --> 00:07:08,542 - I think Gypsy had Stockholm syndrome, 131 00:07:08,708 --> 00:07:11,333 which is the term that's applied to people 132 00:07:11,375 --> 00:07:13,750 who are kidnapped and held hostage 133 00:07:13,875 --> 00:07:16,333 where they fall in love with their captor. 134 00:07:16,417 --> 00:07:18,583 And it's counterintuitive. 135 00:07:18,667 --> 00:07:21,375 And so people tend to blame the victim. 136 00:07:21,500 --> 00:07:23,375 Well, why did you stay? 137 00:07:23,458 --> 00:07:25,333 But Gypsy loved her mother. 138 00:07:25,458 --> 00:07:27,792 (melancholic music) 139 00:07:31,833 --> 00:07:33,667 - [Gypsy] I never told anyone, 140 00:07:33,750 --> 00:07:37,458 but at one point she gets a pregnancy test 141 00:07:37,542 --> 00:07:39,667 because she thinks that I had sex with Dan. 142 00:07:39,708 --> 00:07:41,167 I kept telling her like, 143 00:07:41,292 --> 00:07:44,333 "I'm a virgin. I'm not pregnant." 144 00:07:44,375 --> 00:07:45,625 And she's like, 145 00:07:45,708 --> 00:07:47,167 "I don't know what you did with him." 146 00:07:47,250 --> 00:07:51,167 And she told me I can get pregnant by kissing a guy. 147 00:07:51,208 --> 00:07:53,083 And so I take the pregnancy test, 148 00:07:53,208 --> 00:07:55,083 and it came back negative. 149 00:07:58,917 --> 00:08:01,042 - There was absolutely a fear on Dee Dee's part 150 00:08:01,125 --> 00:08:04,417 that she was starting to lose control of Gypsy, 151 00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:07,333 and also, really, fear 152 00:08:07,417 --> 00:08:10,417 that she would lose the sickness in her child, 153 00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:12,000 which was her lifeline. 154 00:08:13,083 --> 00:08:14,792 It was her reason to live. 155 00:08:15,875 --> 00:08:18,792 And so she had to teach Gypsy a lesson. 156 00:08:20,125 --> 00:08:22,125 (somber music) 157 00:08:24,958 --> 00:08:26,667 - Once she got me inside the house, 158 00:08:26,750 --> 00:08:28,500 she chained me to the bed. 159 00:08:28,583 --> 00:08:32,708 She smashed my computer and my cell phone, 160 00:08:32,833 --> 00:08:36,333 and I was chained for two weeks. 161 00:08:36,417 --> 00:08:39,500 - [Interviewer] What did she use to bind you to the bed? 162 00:08:39,542 --> 00:08:41,125 - Handcuffs and a dog leash. 163 00:08:44,833 --> 00:08:48,833 The dog leash was connected to her, 164 00:08:48,917 --> 00:08:51,167 so anytime that I would move, 165 00:08:51,292 --> 00:08:53,333 she would feel me move. 166 00:08:53,458 --> 00:08:55,833 And if she was asleep, 167 00:08:55,917 --> 00:08:57,875 I would move, she would wake up. 168 00:08:59,542 --> 00:09:02,375 I was at her mercy for everything. 169 00:09:02,458 --> 00:09:05,167 So to go to the bathroom, for food. 170 00:09:06,458 --> 00:09:12,125 As punishment, she would not feed me every day, 171 00:09:12,125 --> 00:09:14,000 and she would eat whatever she wanted. 172 00:09:14,042 --> 00:09:17,333 So it was these things that she would do 173 00:09:17,417 --> 00:09:19,250 that was almost haunting. 174 00:09:24,333 --> 00:09:27,000 - [Interviewer] Did you know that Dee Dee punished her 175 00:09:27,042 --> 00:09:29,500 by chaining her to the bed for two weeks? 176 00:09:29,583 --> 00:09:31,250 - Whoa, I didn't know she, I didn't know 177 00:09:31,333 --> 00:09:33,667 that she had chained her to the bed for two weeks. 178 00:09:33,750 --> 00:09:36,542 That's all going through my head now thinking about it, 179 00:09:36,625 --> 00:09:38,333 just, just, I could see, 180 00:09:38,417 --> 00:09:39,792 I could see it taking place. 181 00:09:41,042 --> 00:09:44,667 It's (beep) terrible, (beep) crazy. 182 00:09:46,042 --> 00:09:47,625 Wow, what a mom. 183 00:09:48,542 --> 00:09:49,667 What a mom. 184 00:09:50,625 --> 00:09:52,625 - I felt enraged. 185 00:09:52,708 --> 00:09:58,708 I was angry because she didn't have to go through that. 186 00:09:59,875 --> 00:10:02,292 - This is very clear communication 187 00:10:02,375 --> 00:10:04,167 that when you cross that line, 188 00:10:04,208 --> 00:10:06,500 first of all, you don't get away with it, 189 00:10:06,583 --> 00:10:10,500 and second of all, next time, it will be worse. 190 00:10:10,583 --> 00:10:12,667 - She knew the things that I was afraid of. 191 00:10:12,750 --> 00:10:15,833 She knew the things that would break me, 192 00:10:15,875 --> 00:10:20,250 and there was no indication an end was ever going to happen 193 00:10:20,375 --> 00:10:22,708 of this way of life. 194 00:10:26,708 --> 00:10:28,250 (gate buzzing) 195 00:10:30,708 --> 00:10:32,833 - My mother never laid a hand on me 196 00:10:32,917 --> 00:10:35,208 until my attempt to run away. 197 00:10:38,542 --> 00:10:41,333 Anything that she found displeasing, 198 00:10:41,417 --> 00:10:42,250 she would hit me. 199 00:10:43,708 --> 00:10:46,667 And it would either be with a coat hanger, 200 00:10:46,750 --> 00:10:48,667 it would be with her hand. 201 00:10:48,750 --> 00:10:51,750 She would punch my leg, in the thigh. 202 00:10:54,208 --> 00:10:59,375 - When I think of being chained up like an animal, 203 00:10:59,500 --> 00:11:06,167 that would be a mark of a mother who had no conscience, 204 00:11:06,250 --> 00:11:09,917 did not care about what her daughter thought or felt. 205 00:11:10,042 --> 00:11:12,042 (ominous music) 206 00:11:16,083 --> 00:11:20,208 - For two weeks, I tried to gain more of her trust, 207 00:11:20,292 --> 00:11:22,208 a lot of begging on my part. 208 00:11:22,292 --> 00:11:25,292 "I promise I won't do it again. I'll be good. 209 00:11:25,375 --> 00:11:27,125 I will never talk to Dan again." 210 00:11:27,208 --> 00:11:29,542 To the point where she believed me enough 211 00:11:29,667 --> 00:11:32,583 to start allowing me little freedoms 212 00:11:32,667 --> 00:11:35,250 like going to the bathroom on my own, 213 00:11:35,333 --> 00:11:37,792 taking a bath on my own. 214 00:11:37,875 --> 00:11:41,667 So leaving her sight for small amounts of time 215 00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:46,333 until she took me off the chain completely. 216 00:11:48,417 --> 00:11:50,333 After this attempt, 217 00:11:50,417 --> 00:11:54,958 she was very sensitive to when I would move in the bed. 218 00:11:57,583 --> 00:12:02,000 And she kept a knife by her bedside table, 219 00:12:02,042 --> 00:12:05,750 and she threatened me that if I was to attempt to run away, 220 00:12:05,833 --> 00:12:07,333 I would be punished for it. 221 00:12:11,375 --> 00:12:15,833 - Dee Dee was very controlling, but yet dependent. 222 00:12:15,917 --> 00:12:20,500 And so there's gonna be pretty harsh punishment and abuse 223 00:12:20,583 --> 00:12:22,833 if she defies her mother. 224 00:12:26,042 --> 00:12:29,708 - After the two weeks that I was chained, 225 00:12:30,875 --> 00:12:33,125 my mother put a voodoo hex on me. 226 00:12:35,042 --> 00:12:37,875 She printed out a picture of Dan 227 00:12:37,958 --> 00:12:40,333 and she printed out a picture of me, 228 00:12:40,458 --> 00:12:41,958 and she went to the store 229 00:12:42,042 --> 00:12:45,000 and got a mason jar and a cow tongue. 230 00:12:46,083 --> 00:12:48,167 She put the cow tongue in the mason jar 231 00:12:48,292 --> 00:12:50,042 with the two pictures 232 00:12:50,042 --> 00:12:53,833 and a little bit of my menstrual blood. 233 00:12:53,875 --> 00:12:56,667 Put it in a mason jar, buried it in the backyard, 234 00:12:56,708 --> 00:12:59,917 and said that, "You will never find love. 235 00:13:00,042 --> 00:13:01,875 You will never be happy." 236 00:13:05,708 --> 00:13:07,500 So I think that it's true. 237 00:13:12,708 --> 00:13:14,417 I'm sorry. (sniffles) 238 00:13:20,375 --> 00:13:21,500 I just think it's true 239 00:13:21,542 --> 00:13:24,417 because it's like every time I get close to someone, 240 00:13:24,500 --> 00:13:25,750 they leave me. 241 00:13:28,417 --> 00:13:31,250 Many men write to me in prison. 242 00:13:32,583 --> 00:13:34,167 That's how I met Ken. 243 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,833 We got engaged in 2019, 244 00:13:39,833 --> 00:13:41,792 but it didn't work out. 245 00:13:43,500 --> 00:13:46,042 I was still such a young girl. 246 00:13:47,250 --> 00:13:49,667 I had so much to learn about relationships. 247 00:13:49,750 --> 00:13:52,042 (somber music) 248 00:13:56,208 --> 00:13:57,417 And he left me, 249 00:13:58,958 --> 00:14:01,083 and it broke my heart. 250 00:14:03,375 --> 00:14:06,625 And so it's like I always bring it back to that curse 251 00:14:06,708 --> 00:14:08,458 where I'm like I believe it's true. 252 00:14:10,917 --> 00:14:14,208 She never wanted me to find love or be happy, 253 00:14:16,042 --> 00:14:21,167 and I just kind of feel like that stuck. 254 00:14:21,250 --> 00:14:23,375 (somber music) 255 00:14:27,958 --> 00:14:30,667 - So, Dee Dee was putting spells on Gypsy. 256 00:14:30,708 --> 00:14:32,333 That's wild, 257 00:14:32,417 --> 00:14:36,167 but it's not so far out of the bounds of what I would think. 258 00:14:36,250 --> 00:14:39,292 Dee Dee had this wizard that was tattooed on her leg, 259 00:14:39,375 --> 00:14:40,708 it was on her ankle, 260 00:14:40,792 --> 00:14:42,958 and she would play with magic. 261 00:14:46,292 --> 00:14:47,500 When I was a kid, 262 00:14:47,625 --> 00:14:51,000 I seen Dee Dee playing with the Ouija board and spells 263 00:14:51,083 --> 00:14:53,000 and playing people over to get what she wanted, 264 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,583 maybe mind control. 265 00:14:54,708 --> 00:14:56,292 And controlling these doctors 266 00:14:56,375 --> 00:14:58,667 and controlling this whole world around her 267 00:14:58,708 --> 00:15:00,833 like a puppeteer. 268 00:15:00,875 --> 00:15:03,000 It was probably very satisfying to her. 269 00:15:05,875 --> 00:15:09,208 - It's almost a scene out of "Carrie." 270 00:15:09,292 --> 00:15:12,000 Now, Dee Dee is threatening her daughter 271 00:15:12,042 --> 00:15:17,042 and acting in this bizarre, wicked fashion. 272 00:15:17,125 --> 00:15:20,167 And certainly, Gypsy could be haunted 273 00:15:20,208 --> 00:15:25,167 by these seeming like spells for years. 274 00:15:28,042 --> 00:15:29,375 - At this point, 275 00:15:29,458 --> 00:15:33,792 there was a significant part of our relationship 276 00:15:33,875 --> 00:15:35,417 that I believe broke. 277 00:15:37,500 --> 00:15:38,583 I'm like, well, 278 00:15:38,667 --> 00:15:42,208 I can just wait 'til she passes away naturally. 279 00:15:42,292 --> 00:15:44,125 But I didn't know how long that was gonna be, 280 00:15:44,208 --> 00:15:46,000 and she could have lived to be 70 years old, 281 00:15:46,125 --> 00:15:47,667 and by that time, 282 00:15:47,708 --> 00:15:50,833 I would be too old to do the things that I would want, 283 00:15:50,917 --> 00:15:53,667 like have children and have a life of my own. 284 00:15:54,708 --> 00:15:57,042 So I really started to weigh out the pros and the cons 285 00:15:57,208 --> 00:16:01,333 and realizing that I needed to get out of this situation now. 286 00:16:01,417 --> 00:16:03,458 (intense music) 287 00:16:09,833 --> 00:16:11,958 (birds chirping) (tense music) 288 00:16:12,042 --> 00:16:13,500 - Growing up, 289 00:16:13,583 --> 00:16:18,292 my mother instilled in me to be mistrusting of people. 290 00:16:19,208 --> 00:16:20,833 And I feel like in prison, 291 00:16:20,917 --> 00:16:25,250 I have to constantly be on guard and be strong. 292 00:16:25,375 --> 00:16:29,250 And today, the day before the parole hearing, 293 00:16:29,333 --> 00:16:31,667 I can think about how I want my demeanor to be. 294 00:16:31,708 --> 00:16:32,958 Do I wanna go in there 295 00:16:33,042 --> 00:16:36,500 like I'm this strong, big, tough bitch? 296 00:16:36,583 --> 00:16:40,708 Or do I want to show that I am vulnerable? 297 00:16:41,875 --> 00:16:43,500 Because whenever I was younger, 298 00:16:43,583 --> 00:16:45,375 when I let my guard down, 299 00:16:45,458 --> 00:16:49,417 I got hurt again and again and again. 300 00:16:53,292 --> 00:16:56,917 After my mother released me from the chain, 301 00:16:57,042 --> 00:16:59,625 she took every precaution that she could 302 00:16:59,708 --> 00:17:03,958 to make sure that I had no attempts to reach anyone 303 00:17:04,042 --> 00:17:06,667 by social media or phone at all. 304 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:09,875 My mom bought a gun, 305 00:17:09,958 --> 00:17:13,375 and that scared the ever living F out of me. 306 00:17:14,792 --> 00:17:17,542 I was afraid that she would kill me. 307 00:17:18,875 --> 00:17:20,542 I wanted to reach out to people, 308 00:17:20,625 --> 00:17:25,125 but I couldn't because I knew the repercussions. 309 00:17:25,208 --> 00:17:28,917 And you don't know if someone is gonna help you or not, 310 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,333 or is it gonna go back to being worse 311 00:17:32,375 --> 00:17:35,333 and my mother doing something worse to me 312 00:17:35,417 --> 00:17:37,500 than just hitting me and starving me. 313 00:17:38,667 --> 00:17:44,292 It is an incredibly lonely and hopeless feeling 314 00:17:44,417 --> 00:17:47,125 to feel like you are trapped. 315 00:17:47,208 --> 00:17:49,792 And that's exactly how I felt, trapped. 316 00:17:54,583 --> 00:17:56,917 - My name is Bracy Bays. 317 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,208 When I met Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose, 318 00:18:00,333 --> 00:18:04,000 I was an assistant manager at the movie theater 319 00:18:04,083 --> 00:18:05,792 in Springfield, Missouri. 320 00:18:05,875 --> 00:18:07,583 I was in charge of promotions. 321 00:18:09,542 --> 00:18:12,208 They were at the theater quite a bit. 322 00:18:12,292 --> 00:18:14,500 At times, they would come three times a week. 323 00:18:15,667 --> 00:18:19,333 And I've asked myself more than one time, 324 00:18:19,375 --> 00:18:22,667 would I have believed Gypsy if she would've pulled me aside? 325 00:18:22,792 --> 00:18:24,792 And the thing that people have to understand 326 00:18:24,875 --> 00:18:27,000 is that Dee Dee set it up 327 00:18:27,042 --> 00:18:31,417 that Gypsy was mentally challenged. 328 00:18:32,750 --> 00:18:34,000 It seemed genuine. 329 00:18:34,083 --> 00:18:36,333 It really seemed for real. 330 00:18:36,458 --> 00:18:39,833 So I don't know if I would have, 331 00:18:39,875 --> 00:18:42,000 and that hurts my heart. 332 00:18:42,042 --> 00:18:43,500 It really does. 333 00:18:45,417 --> 00:18:48,417 Oh, this is one of my promotional albums, 334 00:18:48,500 --> 00:18:51,333 and it has some of Gypsy's pictures in it 335 00:18:52,417 --> 00:18:55,167 because of course she was an integral part 336 00:18:55,250 --> 00:18:57,292 in a lot of our promotions. 337 00:18:57,375 --> 00:19:00,417 This one was for the Leukemia Society, 338 00:19:00,500 --> 00:19:05,208 and you can see, there's Gypsy in her wheelchair. 339 00:19:05,292 --> 00:19:08,500 And we did "Over the Rainbow", 340 00:19:08,542 --> 00:19:11,625 and all of the proceeds went to the Leukemia Society. 341 00:19:13,167 --> 00:19:19,333 At the time, my sister had leukemia. 342 00:19:19,417 --> 00:19:22,208 And so when Dee Dee said, 343 00:19:22,292 --> 00:19:24,042 "Yes, she has leukemia," 344 00:19:24,208 --> 00:19:27,167 and so that kinda struck a chord with me. 345 00:19:27,250 --> 00:19:29,750 And we wanted to do what we could do for them. 346 00:19:31,458 --> 00:19:33,333 - Dee Dee wanted everybody to believe 347 00:19:33,417 --> 00:19:35,875 that they were destitute, 348 00:19:35,958 --> 00:19:37,542 that they had nothing. 349 00:19:37,625 --> 00:19:45,250 And the old woe-is-me because dad was out of the picture. 350 00:19:48,042 --> 00:19:49,042 - I told Dee Dee, 351 00:19:49,167 --> 00:19:50,417 "You're never gonna be able to work. 352 00:19:50,500 --> 00:19:52,833 You're taking care of Gypsy 24/7." 353 00:19:52,875 --> 00:19:54,125 I told her, 354 00:19:54,208 --> 00:19:56,375 "I'm gonna give you everything I can." 355 00:19:56,500 --> 00:19:58,917 I think I was giving her 11 or $1,200 a month. 356 00:20:00,333 --> 00:20:02,417 - We would always raise money for them. 357 00:20:02,542 --> 00:20:06,292 And Gypsy did actually become 358 00:20:06,375 --> 00:20:09,583 kind of a symbol of hope for us. 359 00:20:09,667 --> 00:20:13,958 - Dee Dee was defrauding a whole bunch of people. 360 00:20:14,042 --> 00:20:17,458 Dee Dee's ability to manipulate people was unrivaled 361 00:20:17,542 --> 00:20:19,542 with anything I've ever seen. 362 00:20:22,208 --> 00:20:25,875 - Dee Dee presented as a chameleon 363 00:20:25,958 --> 00:20:28,042 where people around her 364 00:20:28,042 --> 00:20:30,667 thought she was the mother of the year, 365 00:20:30,750 --> 00:20:35,667 but did not see the other part or side of this woman 366 00:20:35,875 --> 00:20:40,750 who was handcuffing her daughter for weeks at a time. 367 00:20:41,875 --> 00:20:46,708 So I believe that Dee Dee was perhaps a psychopath. 368 00:20:48,167 --> 00:20:50,667 She had no conscience, 369 00:20:50,708 --> 00:20:55,750 and she would do anything to keep her daughter under wraps. 370 00:20:55,833 --> 00:20:58,250 (tense music) 371 00:21:02,167 --> 00:21:04,333 (gate buzzing) 372 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:08,500 - [Gypsy] After that whole incident happened 373 00:21:08,583 --> 00:21:10,625 with being chained to the bed, 374 00:21:10,708 --> 00:21:15,667 she started telling me that nobody's ever gonna want me 375 00:21:15,750 --> 00:21:18,750 and that Dan doesn't love me. 376 00:21:18,833 --> 00:21:22,250 And if he loved me so much, he would come and rescue me, 377 00:21:22,375 --> 00:21:24,750 and he hasn't done that. 378 00:21:24,833 --> 00:21:28,625 And I stopped trying to communicate with him after that. 379 00:21:28,708 --> 00:21:30,500 I kind of felt like, oh my God, 380 00:21:30,500 --> 00:21:33,333 I am trying everything I can, 381 00:21:33,417 --> 00:21:38,333 every turn, she catches me. 382 00:21:38,375 --> 00:21:41,417 And there's just no escape from her. 383 00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:45,500 So I decided to run away again. 384 00:21:45,542 --> 00:21:49,417 And I packed my bag and hid it under the couch. 385 00:21:50,375 --> 00:21:52,000 But one night, 386 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:55,833 she had a suspicion and she found my bag. 387 00:21:55,875 --> 00:21:56,833 She was like, 388 00:21:56,917 --> 00:21:58,500 "You were gonna run away again, weren't you?" 389 00:21:58,583 --> 00:22:01,542 And my heart was pounding, 390 00:22:01,667 --> 00:22:04,000 like a million things were going through my mind 391 00:22:04,083 --> 00:22:06,167 of how bad this was gonna be. 392 00:22:06,292 --> 00:22:09,125 And I saw her gun on the table. 393 00:22:09,208 --> 00:22:13,708 She normally kept the gun in the safe in her bedroom, 394 00:22:13,792 --> 00:22:19,625 but she had used it to practice shooting earlier that week. 395 00:22:19,708 --> 00:22:21,417 And that's when I grabbed the gun 396 00:22:21,500 --> 00:22:23,083 and I threatened her with it. 397 00:22:24,292 --> 00:22:26,500 And before I knew it, 398 00:22:26,542 --> 00:22:29,958 I pulled the trigger as many times as I could. 399 00:22:30,042 --> 00:22:31,000 (gunshots) 400 00:22:38,250 --> 00:22:42,458 - If I get the news that I am being paroled, 401 00:22:42,542 --> 00:22:45,542 I, gosh, I can't even really put it into words 402 00:22:45,625 --> 00:22:47,000 how I'm going to feel. 403 00:22:48,042 --> 00:22:54,042 It's going to feel like finally, finally I get to be free. 404 00:22:54,167 --> 00:22:56,375 (tense music) 405 00:22:57,500 --> 00:23:02,292 But the punishment is having that guilt, 406 00:23:02,375 --> 00:23:06,000 realizing that I can't undo what I've done, 407 00:23:07,542 --> 00:23:10,583 have it in my heart to deal with every single day. 408 00:23:15,458 --> 00:23:17,458 When I shot my mother, 409 00:23:17,542 --> 00:23:19,250 I just remember thinking like, oh my God, 410 00:23:19,333 --> 00:23:20,542 did I just do that? 411 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:50,833 - [Interviewer] Gypsy tells a story about picking up 412 00:23:50,875 --> 00:23:53,500 a BB gun and shooting Dee Dee 10 times with it. 413 00:23:53,583 --> 00:23:54,833 - I don't know about that. 414 00:23:54,917 --> 00:23:56,000 - [Interviewer] You don't know the story, 415 00:23:56,083 --> 00:23:57,000 she thought she killed her? 416 00:23:57,083 --> 00:23:58,458 - No, there are some things 417 00:23:58,542 --> 00:24:00,833 Gypsy said she wants to talk to us about in person. 418 00:24:00,917 --> 00:24:02,583 So there's things that y'all probably know 419 00:24:02,708 --> 00:24:04,750 that we don't know, but good for her. 420 00:24:04,875 --> 00:24:06,792 (tense music) 421 00:24:09,083 --> 00:24:11,375 - [Gypsy] I had never stood up to my mother, 422 00:24:11,458 --> 00:24:15,000 and I just kind of offloaded all of my anger 423 00:24:15,042 --> 00:24:16,042 and my questions, 424 00:24:16,167 --> 00:24:19,042 like why won't you let me have a normal life? 425 00:24:19,125 --> 00:24:21,792 Why is my life this way to begin with? 426 00:24:22,750 --> 00:24:27,208 And she just kept reiterating 427 00:24:27,292 --> 00:24:31,208 that she takes good care of me 428 00:24:31,292 --> 00:24:35,000 and I need special care. 429 00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:38,917 At that point in time, I half believed her. 430 00:24:39,042 --> 00:24:41,000 I couldn't see cancer, 431 00:24:41,083 --> 00:24:44,000 I couldn't see some of the diagnoses 432 00:24:44,083 --> 00:24:45,625 that she said that I had. 433 00:24:46,958 --> 00:24:51,625 And I started crying and I told her, 434 00:24:51,708 --> 00:24:54,833 "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I hurt you." 435 00:24:54,917 --> 00:24:57,583 My mom was such a good master manipulator 436 00:24:57,667 --> 00:24:59,667 that she was able 437 00:24:59,708 --> 00:25:02,583 to slip me right back into submission again. 438 00:25:06,125 --> 00:25:09,667 - The object of a person with Munchausen by proxy 439 00:25:09,708 --> 00:25:12,250 is the most important person in the world to them. 440 00:25:12,333 --> 00:25:16,125 And so when Dee Dee did go in and get medical care, 441 00:25:16,208 --> 00:25:19,167 the records show that she lied about it 442 00:25:20,292 --> 00:25:23,792 because she would not risk anybody connecting the dots. 443 00:25:25,875 --> 00:25:31,250 - [Gypsy] She told people that me and her were robbed 444 00:25:31,333 --> 00:25:33,167 in the parking lot of Walmart 445 00:25:33,292 --> 00:25:39,083 by this mystery robber that shot her with the BB gun. 446 00:25:41,625 --> 00:25:45,458 - So Dee Dee kills two birds with one stone. 447 00:25:45,542 --> 00:25:49,500 No one figured out that her daughter rebelled. 448 00:25:49,542 --> 00:25:52,000 And then everybody felt sorry for Dee Dee 449 00:25:52,042 --> 00:25:55,042 because she was held up and almost killed. 450 00:25:57,167 --> 00:26:00,667 - The world was colluding with her mother. 451 00:26:00,750 --> 00:26:03,542 Gypsy still had no confidence 452 00:26:03,625 --> 00:26:06,083 that the world would recognize her situation. 453 00:26:10,042 --> 00:26:14,042 - It really felt like there was no escaping the situation. 454 00:26:15,458 --> 00:26:19,583 I thought that I would live forever at home with her. 455 00:26:22,375 --> 00:26:24,833 So I needed to go online again. 456 00:26:27,833 --> 00:26:30,792 Online, I could be the Gypsy that has all these friends, 457 00:26:30,875 --> 00:26:33,667 the version of myself that is normal. 458 00:26:35,708 --> 00:26:38,833 There's this fantasy world that I created. 459 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:46,000 - I think there's a connection between the fairytales 460 00:26:46,083 --> 00:26:50,583 and daydreaming and dissociation and trauma. 461 00:26:51,875 --> 00:26:54,167 Gypsy was in so much pain, 462 00:26:54,250 --> 00:26:58,167 and so many trauma victims will dissociate 463 00:26:58,250 --> 00:27:01,375 as a way to repress the trauma they're going through. 464 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,125 - That night, we went to sleep 465 00:27:10,208 --> 00:27:14,542 and she took her sleeping meds that she takes every night. 466 00:27:14,625 --> 00:27:17,042 And I went to my bedroom 467 00:27:17,125 --> 00:27:21,750 and I started talking with a neighbor on Facebook about Dan. 468 00:27:21,875 --> 00:27:23,125 She's like, "Oh, well, 469 00:27:23,125 --> 00:27:24,833 you should get on that online dating website 470 00:27:24,875 --> 00:27:27,292 called christiandatingforfree.com." 471 00:27:29,583 --> 00:27:33,542 And after looking at a couple dozen profiles, 472 00:27:33,667 --> 00:27:37,042 I came across a profile that stood out. 473 00:27:39,542 --> 00:27:40,917 It's silly. 474 00:27:41,042 --> 00:27:43,667 One thing that attracted me is he plays video games, 475 00:27:44,833 --> 00:27:47,333 like it's special or something. 476 00:27:49,083 --> 00:27:51,250 I sent him a message that just said, 477 00:27:51,333 --> 00:27:53,000 "Hi, my name is Gypsy." 478 00:27:53,083 --> 00:27:54,875 And he sent me a message back saying, 479 00:27:54,958 --> 00:27:56,583 "Hi, my name is Nicholas." 480 00:27:56,667 --> 00:28:00,375 And we started communicating via this website. 481 00:28:00,458 --> 00:28:01,542 And then pretty soon, 482 00:28:01,625 --> 00:28:04,292 I invited him to friend me on Facebook. 483 00:28:05,333 --> 00:28:07,042 I had different aliases 484 00:28:07,042 --> 00:28:09,917 because she kept finding my Facebook account. 485 00:28:09,917 --> 00:28:12,833 So Emma Rose was my name. 486 00:28:12,917 --> 00:28:15,125 And it progressed very quickly. 487 00:28:15,208 --> 00:28:18,083 Two weeks after first communicating, 488 00:28:18,167 --> 00:28:20,542 did we like make it official on Facebook 489 00:28:20,625 --> 00:28:22,417 that we were in a relationship. 490 00:28:22,542 --> 00:28:24,708 (tense music) 491 00:28:24,792 --> 00:28:29,042 And again, I was in that mindset that, oh, 492 00:28:29,125 --> 00:28:31,208 this is my knight in shining armor. 493 00:28:33,042 --> 00:28:34,792 So when one of his ex-girlfriends 494 00:28:34,875 --> 00:28:36,625 actually messaged me on Facebook, 495 00:28:36,708 --> 00:28:37,708 I didn't listen to her. 496 00:28:37,792 --> 00:28:40,083 I thought she was a jaded ex. 497 00:28:40,167 --> 00:28:44,417 She told me that he is violent 498 00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:48,833 and that he's verbally abusive, controlling. 499 00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:53,375 But even though those red flags, 500 00:28:53,458 --> 00:28:55,333 I saw them, 501 00:28:55,417 --> 00:28:57,000 I ignored them 502 00:28:57,167 --> 00:29:01,792 because of this notion that I had found love at first sight. 503 00:29:01,875 --> 00:29:04,125 (intense music) 504 00:29:11,375 --> 00:29:13,750 (gate buzzing) 505 00:29:14,792 --> 00:29:18,333 - If you would've asked me years ago, 506 00:29:18,375 --> 00:29:22,208 did I think that getting hurt was a part of love? 507 00:29:22,333 --> 00:29:24,167 I would've told you no. 508 00:29:24,292 --> 00:29:27,125 But since then, I have experience 509 00:29:28,708 --> 00:29:33,292 that has taught me that love could be painful. 510 00:29:35,750 --> 00:29:38,500 First, with Nick, 511 00:29:38,583 --> 00:29:41,167 and then in prison. 512 00:29:41,250 --> 00:29:44,333 The relationship that I had with Ken, 513 00:29:44,458 --> 00:29:46,917 I was still so naive. 514 00:29:49,042 --> 00:29:54,333 But now I have had time to reflect on the past. 515 00:29:56,458 --> 00:29:58,792 About six months ago, 516 00:29:58,875 --> 00:30:01,792 I met a man named Ryan. 517 00:30:01,875 --> 00:30:05,000 He is a southern Louisiana boy. 518 00:30:05,083 --> 00:30:06,458 And he's just like, 519 00:30:06,583 --> 00:30:10,083 "I heard your story and I wanted to get to know you." 520 00:30:11,417 --> 00:30:13,292 And so we've started dating, 521 00:30:14,583 --> 00:30:16,792 but I am taking it slowly. 522 00:30:22,458 --> 00:30:26,083 With Nick, the relationship was strictly online. 523 00:30:28,083 --> 00:30:32,542 He was living with his mother in Waukesha, Wisconsin, 524 00:30:32,625 --> 00:30:36,833 and I was living in Springfield, Missouri with my mother. 525 00:30:38,333 --> 00:30:43,000 So eventually, I stole cash from my mother's wallet. 526 00:30:43,083 --> 00:30:45,583 And when my mom and I made a trip to Walmart 527 00:30:45,667 --> 00:30:46,708 and she let me go to the bathroom, 528 00:30:46,875 --> 00:30:49,833 and I went to the electronics department 529 00:30:49,917 --> 00:30:52,833 and traded the cash for a cell phone. 530 00:30:52,875 --> 00:30:54,000 And from then on, 531 00:30:54,042 --> 00:30:57,250 I can text Nick through Yahoo Messenger. 532 00:30:58,667 --> 00:31:01,375 The dialogue between Nick and I, 533 00:31:02,625 --> 00:31:04,125 it was just fun. 534 00:31:05,750 --> 00:31:08,500 It was about this fantasy world 535 00:31:08,583 --> 00:31:10,542 that he and I created together. 536 00:31:12,167 --> 00:31:14,542 I needed a way out of my reality. 537 00:31:18,542 --> 00:31:22,000 At that time, whenever I was at home with my mother, 538 00:31:22,042 --> 00:31:23,333 arguments would occur 539 00:31:23,417 --> 00:31:27,208 anytime that I would get caught on the computer, 540 00:31:27,333 --> 00:31:28,333 on social media, 541 00:31:28,417 --> 00:31:31,375 if I didn't wanna take medication that night. 542 00:31:32,458 --> 00:31:34,000 And at this point, 543 00:31:34,083 --> 00:31:37,667 my mother had scheduled more surgeries, more medication. 544 00:31:37,708 --> 00:31:42,167 I was scheduled for another procedure to have on my throat. 545 00:31:44,167 --> 00:31:45,667 It was gonna be a surgery 546 00:31:45,708 --> 00:31:50,042 to look into why I have such a high pitched voice 547 00:31:50,125 --> 00:31:52,167 because it was something to do 548 00:31:52,292 --> 00:31:56,833 that my larynx didn't close properly. 549 00:31:56,917 --> 00:31:59,208 I have a big fear of tubes 550 00:31:59,333 --> 00:32:03,583 being put down my throat or my nose or anything. 551 00:32:05,208 --> 00:32:07,167 For all my other procedures, 552 00:32:07,250 --> 00:32:09,625 I was put under general anesthesia. 553 00:32:09,708 --> 00:32:11,208 And I asked her, I'm like, 554 00:32:11,292 --> 00:32:13,500 "Can you make sure that they put me to sleep?" 555 00:32:13,542 --> 00:32:16,417 And she's like, "No, you're old enough now." 556 00:32:18,083 --> 00:32:20,792 I'm terrified at this point. 557 00:32:20,875 --> 00:32:23,458 But Nick was there for me. 558 00:32:25,042 --> 00:32:29,958 I told him that my mother didn't allow me to have friends, 559 00:32:30,042 --> 00:32:34,458 I told him that I could walk, 560 00:32:34,542 --> 00:32:36,542 and about the abuse. 561 00:32:36,667 --> 00:32:38,875 I told him everything. 562 00:32:38,958 --> 00:32:43,083 And he was telling me how he would protect me. 563 00:32:44,875 --> 00:32:47,167 - It was sad that she opened up to Nick, 564 00:32:47,208 --> 00:32:51,958 and I wish she could have come to me. 565 00:32:53,083 --> 00:32:55,208 But I guess she felt comfortable enough 566 00:32:55,208 --> 00:32:57,792 that she can open up to him and trusted him. 567 00:32:57,875 --> 00:32:59,500 - I often told him, I'm like, 568 00:32:59,583 --> 00:33:05,208 "If I lived with you or if I was just some other girl, 569 00:33:05,292 --> 00:33:07,292 I would be able to visit you. 570 00:33:07,375 --> 00:33:09,167 We would be able to go on dates. 571 00:33:09,292 --> 00:33:11,958 But I can't because I'm living this life. 572 00:33:12,042 --> 00:33:13,500 My mother won't let me." 573 00:33:16,542 --> 00:33:17,708 - At this point, 574 00:33:17,792 --> 00:33:21,292 Gypsy has lived in this toxic bubble with her mother, 575 00:33:21,375 --> 00:33:26,083 and she's starving for some type of affection. 576 00:33:26,167 --> 00:33:31,833 Anyone with any, just, sliver of interest in Gypsy, 577 00:33:31,917 --> 00:33:34,375 she would probably rush to. 578 00:33:36,375 --> 00:33:40,000 - I started to realize that Nick was a little different 579 00:33:40,042 --> 00:33:42,042 after about three months. 580 00:33:42,167 --> 00:33:46,792 There was a certain phrase that I had to repeat 581 00:33:46,875 --> 00:33:48,750 after every conversation. 582 00:33:48,875 --> 00:33:52,042 And if I didn't say this phrase 583 00:33:52,167 --> 00:33:55,333 the way he had instructed me to say it, 584 00:33:55,417 --> 00:33:59,333 he would get very verbally aggressive. 585 00:33:59,417 --> 00:34:00,875 - [Interviewer] What was the phrase? 586 00:34:00,958 --> 00:34:04,417 - "I love and adore you, my king charming, goodnight." 587 00:34:07,167 --> 00:34:09,333 (tense music) 588 00:34:09,375 --> 00:34:12,167 But I didn't see what was happening. 589 00:34:12,250 --> 00:34:16,542 I was still stuck in that mindset that this is my hero. 590 00:34:16,667 --> 00:34:20,292 And I villainized my mother, and I wasn't seeing 591 00:34:20,375 --> 00:34:23,583 the connection between their behaviors. 592 00:34:25,292 --> 00:34:28,500 - Nick and Dee Dee have a lot in common. 593 00:34:28,583 --> 00:34:33,000 They're manipulative, aggressive, controlling, 594 00:34:33,083 --> 00:34:35,208 and that's a comfort zone for Gypsy. 595 00:34:36,208 --> 00:34:38,750 - It was probably a month later, 596 00:34:38,833 --> 00:34:42,083 he said he had a BDSM fetish. 597 00:34:47,208 --> 00:34:50,458 - So, Gypsy, I know this is in many ways 598 00:34:50,542 --> 00:34:52,500 can be re-traumatizing for you, 599 00:34:52,542 --> 00:34:55,000 but hopefully it's healing for you as well. 600 00:34:55,125 --> 00:34:57,500 - [Gypsy] Yes, I think it will be. 601 00:34:57,542 --> 00:34:59,083 - Excellent. 602 00:35:02,292 --> 00:35:05,417 Well, let's talk about the relationship with Nick. 603 00:35:05,500 --> 00:35:09,042 Did some of this have sexual components to it? 604 00:35:09,125 --> 00:35:10,375 - [Gypsy] It did. 605 00:35:10,500 --> 00:35:15,208 He was very sexualized and craved it, 606 00:35:15,375 --> 00:35:17,750 talked about it nonstop. 607 00:35:17,833 --> 00:35:21,583 I had never even heard of BDSM before I met him. 608 00:35:21,708 --> 00:35:23,833 At first it was very out of my element, 609 00:35:23,875 --> 00:35:28,000 but then it was exciting because I was opening a door 610 00:35:28,083 --> 00:35:31,458 to something I had never experienced before, 611 00:35:31,458 --> 00:35:34,167 and it made me feel empowered. 612 00:35:34,208 --> 00:35:36,500 - Gypsy was submissive by nature, 613 00:35:36,583 --> 00:35:42,125 so she would certainly be at risk to gratify her partner 614 00:35:42,208 --> 00:35:45,333 as she always gratified her mother's wishes. 615 00:35:46,417 --> 00:35:49,917 - I was the perfect candidate for what he wanted. 616 00:35:53,542 --> 00:35:55,583 It doesn't matter what he would do to me, 617 00:35:55,708 --> 00:35:57,250 positive or negative, 618 00:35:57,375 --> 00:36:00,250 I would just look at him with adoring eyes. 619 00:36:01,875 --> 00:36:03,083 But looking back, 620 00:36:03,167 --> 00:36:06,333 I feel like Nick is a very disturbed person 621 00:36:06,375 --> 00:36:10,917 that lives in his own created fantasy world. 622 00:36:11,000 --> 00:36:12,458 And he doesn't wanna acknowledge 623 00:36:12,542 --> 00:36:20,625 the difference between what's right and wrong. 624 00:36:20,625 --> 00:36:25,042 - No matter what, ultimately I will get released, 625 00:36:25,167 --> 00:36:26,792 but I don't know 626 00:36:26,875 --> 00:36:29,708 if there is a possibility of a happy ending for me. 627 00:36:30,917 --> 00:36:32,042 And I don't really think 628 00:36:32,125 --> 00:36:34,583 that it's going to be the Disney fairytale 629 00:36:34,708 --> 00:36:36,167 that I grew up with. 630 00:36:37,208 --> 00:36:41,042 I don't know if I'm ever gonna find the one. 631 00:36:41,042 --> 00:36:43,667 I don't know if I'm gonna have kids. 632 00:36:43,708 --> 00:36:46,500 All that I do know is that what I have right now 633 00:36:46,583 --> 00:36:48,167 is my father and my stepmother, 634 00:36:48,292 --> 00:36:50,292 and that's what I can count on right now. 635 00:36:55,500 --> 00:37:00,208 - It hurts my heart actually that she's incarcerated. 636 00:37:02,250 --> 00:37:05,208 She was in one prison with her mom. 637 00:37:05,292 --> 00:37:07,208 She's in another prison now. 638 00:37:08,208 --> 00:37:09,833 We talk on the phone. 639 00:37:09,917 --> 00:37:11,292 But to see her, 640 00:37:11,375 --> 00:37:13,208 we can't wait to have her home. 641 00:37:14,750 --> 00:37:18,500 - During visitation, you're only allowed like, a brief hug. 642 00:37:18,583 --> 00:37:22,292 So the first thing I want to do whenever I get released 643 00:37:22,375 --> 00:37:27,667 is hug my family for like 10 minutes (laughs) 644 00:37:27,750 --> 00:37:30,583 where a guard isn't like, "Okay, that's too close," 645 00:37:30,667 --> 00:37:33,375 or, "That's enough." (laughs) 646 00:37:35,125 --> 00:37:37,250 (tense music) 647 00:37:38,458 --> 00:37:40,458 Every relationship in my life 648 00:37:40,542 --> 00:37:43,500 has been a long distance relationship. 649 00:37:46,375 --> 00:37:49,958 Nick and I would trade messages back and forth 650 00:37:50,042 --> 00:37:53,167 for almost three years. 651 00:37:53,292 --> 00:37:55,333 We were trying to figure out plans 652 00:37:55,417 --> 00:37:57,458 to meet for the first time, 653 00:37:58,708 --> 00:38:05,375 and "Cinderella" was set to come out in theaters in 2015. 654 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:08,417 And so the whole setup was to meet at the movie theater 655 00:38:08,500 --> 00:38:09,875 because where's the one place 656 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:13,500 that my mother actually took me out in public 657 00:38:13,583 --> 00:38:15,417 besides the grocery store? 658 00:38:16,583 --> 00:38:18,708 I was allowed to dress up as "Cinderella." 659 00:38:20,708 --> 00:38:23,000 It was just like the fantasy world 660 00:38:23,125 --> 00:38:25,292 that he and I created together. 661 00:38:27,208 --> 00:38:30,375 My thought was to have him meet my mother 662 00:38:30,458 --> 00:38:34,333 and act like we had never met before, 663 00:38:34,417 --> 00:38:37,333 and she could see what a wonderful person he is 664 00:38:37,417 --> 00:38:39,875 and that she would let me start this friendship, 665 00:38:39,958 --> 00:38:42,833 and then this friendship can turn into a relationship. 666 00:38:42,875 --> 00:38:45,000 (tense music) 667 00:38:46,125 --> 00:38:48,875 That day at the movie theater, 668 00:38:48,958 --> 00:38:52,250 he comes up to us and starts talking to us 669 00:38:52,375 --> 00:38:55,375 and he makes conversation. 670 00:38:55,458 --> 00:38:57,750 And of course the conversation that he makes is like, 671 00:38:57,833 --> 00:38:59,875 "So, the weather's nice (laughs)." 672 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:02,250 I'm like, looking at him 673 00:39:02,375 --> 00:39:04,542 like, you couldn't come up with anything better? 674 00:39:04,625 --> 00:39:07,375 And so she was polite to him at first, 675 00:39:07,375 --> 00:39:10,167 but then she immediately started to question 676 00:39:10,250 --> 00:39:14,792 why is this guy that's obviously an adult 677 00:39:14,875 --> 00:39:19,167 at a little girl's children's movie by himself? 678 00:39:19,250 --> 00:39:21,708 No kids, no girlfriend, no family. 679 00:39:23,125 --> 00:39:25,750 So as we go to take our seats, 680 00:39:25,833 --> 00:39:28,042 she's got our eyes dead locked on us. 681 00:39:31,417 --> 00:39:33,667 But we also came up with this plan 682 00:39:33,708 --> 00:39:36,583 that I was gonna lose my virginity to him. 683 00:39:36,583 --> 00:39:39,333 So he left the auditorium first. 684 00:39:39,375 --> 00:39:41,417 Then I told my mom, "Can I go to the bathroom?" 685 00:39:41,500 --> 00:39:42,917 And she let me. 686 00:39:43,958 --> 00:39:48,000 We both went into the men's handicapped stall. 687 00:39:49,667 --> 00:39:55,833 It was the first time that I had ever seen a penis, 688 00:39:55,958 --> 00:39:58,833 other than what happened with my grandfather 689 00:39:58,958 --> 00:40:01,375 and the molestation when I was nine. 690 00:40:03,042 --> 00:40:04,750 He couldn't get an erection, 691 00:40:04,833 --> 00:40:09,333 but we just called it, okay, I lost my virginity to him. 692 00:40:09,375 --> 00:40:12,375 And it just kind of felt like that was weird. 693 00:40:12,458 --> 00:40:14,167 It was kinda shameful. 694 00:40:15,750 --> 00:40:19,625 I was very disappointed because I built this up in my mind, 695 00:40:19,625 --> 00:40:24,708 and I didn't feel any closer to Nick than before. 696 00:40:24,792 --> 00:40:27,667 It just kind of felt like, well, that was disgusting. 697 00:40:29,500 --> 00:40:32,125 And I knew my mother would be coming soon. 698 00:40:32,208 --> 00:40:33,708 So we left the bathroom. 699 00:40:35,083 --> 00:40:36,333 By the end of the movie, 700 00:40:36,458 --> 00:40:38,958 she storms out of the auditorium. 701 00:40:41,375 --> 00:40:42,958 So my mother takes me home, 702 00:40:43,042 --> 00:40:45,667 and we instantly get into an argument. 703 00:40:46,875 --> 00:40:50,625 She says, "You're such a slut for wanting a boyfriend, 704 00:40:50,708 --> 00:40:52,083 you're a devil spawn. 705 00:40:52,208 --> 00:40:54,958 I should have aborted you when I had the chance." 706 00:40:56,083 --> 00:40:57,542 And Nick is online. 707 00:40:57,667 --> 00:41:00,333 He's waiting for me, to know what's going on. 708 00:41:00,375 --> 00:41:05,333 So I messaged him and I'm like, "My mother did not like you." 709 00:41:05,417 --> 00:41:08,167 He's like, "Okay, well, what now?" 710 00:41:08,208 --> 00:41:11,333 So that's whenever we start going into other plans. 711 00:41:11,417 --> 00:41:13,042 (suspenseful music) 712 00:41:13,167 --> 00:41:17,000 I wanted that life that I was living to be over. 713 00:41:17,083 --> 00:41:21,875 I started to really feel like it was either her or me. 714 00:41:23,208 --> 00:41:26,417 His alternate personality's name is Victor, 715 00:41:26,500 --> 00:41:30,458 that he's a 500 year old vampire, Victor, 716 00:41:30,542 --> 00:41:32,167 and he would kill my mother for me. 717 00:41:33,583 --> 00:41:34,917 - [Prayer] Dear Lord, Heavenly Father, 718 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:38,125 please open the hearts of the parole panelists. 719 00:41:38,208 --> 00:41:39,458 Give them understanding 720 00:41:39,542 --> 00:41:41,750 to Gypsy's progress that she's made, Lord. 721 00:41:41,833 --> 00:41:46,542 - [Gypsy] Okay, so I got my answer today. 722 00:41:46,542 --> 00:41:47,667 - [Interviewee] Gypsy was like, 723 00:41:47,792 --> 00:41:50,458 "Where do you want this relationship to go now?" 724 00:41:50,542 --> 00:41:52,917 - I have been keeping a secret.