CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses child abuse.
Former mummy blogger and mother of six Ruby Franke has pled guilty to four charges of felony child abuse four months after her children were discovered malnourished and showing signs of abuse at the home of her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
Franke, 41, pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse as part of a plea agreement. As she responded to the judge reading out the charges, she said “guilty” three times. After the fourth, she said: “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”
By taking the plea deal, Franke’s charges have been reduced from six second-degree felony charges, making the maximum penalty 60 years in prison rather than 90. The plea also means that her sentencing is left solely up to a judge, rather than a jury with the sentencing hearing scheduled for February 20.
Franke’s attorney Winward Law said that Franke’s actions were influenced by Hildebrandt who led her to a “distorted sense of morality”.
“Ruby Franke is a devoted mother and is also a woman committed to constant improvement,” Law said in a statement, per The Guardian.
He stated that Franke believed that Hildebrandt “had the insight to offer a part to continual improvement”. However, Winward alleged that Hildebrandt “took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous.”
The statement also claimed that Hildebrandt isolated Franke from her extended family, older children and her husband Kevin Franke, who filed for divorce in November following her arrest.
Hildebrandt “systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke”, the statement said.
On August 30, Franke’s 12-year-old “emaciated” son escaped from Hildebradt’s home in Utah and ran to a neighbour’s home to ask for food and water. He reportedly had duct tape around his ankles and wrists. The neighbour called the authorities, who found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter at Hildebrandt’s home. The children were taken to hospital.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested and have remained in custody without bail since their arrest. Hildebrandt’s court hearing is expected to be on December 27.
Franke grew a following online through her YouTube channel 8 Passengers which she started in 2015. The channel documented the lives of her family, with the videos often featuring parenting advice.
However, Franke often received criticism for the strict ways they punished their children, including how she banned her oldest son from his own bedroom for seven months after he played a prank on his younger brother and how she refused to take lunch to her child — who was in kindergarten — after the child forgot to pack her own lunch.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about domestic violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
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