A Utah mother of six who gave parenting advice through her once-popular YouTube channel “8 Passengers” pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of second-degree felony child abuse for abusing and starving her two children.
Ruby Franke, who was wearing a gray and white prison uniform, pleaded guilty to each of the first three charges individually and to the fourth saying: “With deep regret and sorrow I for my family and my children, guilty.”
Judge John J. Walton accepted the plea deal and set sentencing for Feb. 20. The deal leaves sentencing up to the judge and does not rule out prison time, his attorney, LaMar Winward, acknowledged.
Winward Law announced in a statement Friday that the alleged abuse occurred while Ruby Franke was under the influence of a relationship counselor who led her to “perverted moral feelings.”
“Ruby Franke is a devoted mother and a woman committed to continuous improvement,” Winward Law said in a statement. Franke initially believed that Jodi Hildebrandt “had the vision to offer a path toward continuous improvement,” but said that Hildebrandt “took advantage of this search and turned it into something vile.”
Hildebrandt “systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, her older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke,” the statement said.
Ruby Franke, who was wearing a gray and white prison outfit, pleaded guilty to each of the first three charges individually and to the fourth saying: “With deep regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.” AP Ruby Franke has pleaded guilty to child abuse charges. AP
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested Aug. 30 after Franke’s 12-year-old son ran away from Hildebrandt’s home in the southern Utah town of Ivins and asked a neighbor to call police, according to a 911 call released by the St. Louis Police Department. George.
The boy was emaciated and had duct tape on his ankles and wrists but wouldn’t say why, the caller reported.
“I think he’s been … he’s been arrested,” the caller said, his voice breaking. “Obviously he’s covered in wounds.”
Franke’s 10-year-old daughter was also found at Hildebrandt’s home, court records said. Both children were taken to hospital. Eventually, Franke’s four youngest children were taken into state custody.
Kevin Franke has filed for divorce. Instagram/@moms_of_truth
Franke and Hildebrandt are each charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse. They have been incarcerated since their arrest.
During Franke’s imprisonment, “he has actively engaged in introspection that has allowed him to reset his moral compass and understand the full weight of his actions. Ms. Franke is committed to taking responsibility for the role she played in the events that led to her incarceration,” the statement said.
The 12-year-old boy told investigators that “Jodi” put ropes around his ankles and wrists and that they used cayenne pepper and honey to bandage the wounds caused by the ropes, according to the search warrant.
Kevin Franke has filed for divorce.
Franke admitted that his two children were starving. moms_of_truth/instagram
Hildebrandt has agreed not to see patients until the allegations are addressed by state licensing officials. The next court hearing is set for Dec. 27, according to court records. Her attorney, Douglas Terry, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the allegations made against Hildebrandt in a statement by Franke’s attorney.
The Frankes were criticized online for their “8 Passengers” video blog that showed parenting decisions including banning their eldest son from his bedroom for seven months for teasing his younger brother. In another video, Ruby Franke talks about refusing lunch to a kindergartner who forgot it at home and threatening to cut off the head of a young girl’s stuffed toy to punish her for cutting things in the house.
In one video, Franke said she and her husband told their two youngest children that they wouldn’t get a present from Santa Claus one year because they were selfish and didn’t respond to punishments like being kept home from school and cleaning the floorboards.
The YouTube channel, which started in 2015, ended after seven years.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
