Infamous mommy vlogger and influencer Ruby Franke has pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree felony child abuse, according to KUTV. Franke was charged in Utah with six counts of aggravated child abuse, but two were dropped as a part of her deal. The news comes after three months of ongoing hearings, which have not been live-streamed to the public after Franke fans disrupted earlier sessions. (Representatives for Franke did not respond to Rolling Stone’s requests for comment.)
Franke is best known as the main voice behind the popular YouTube channel “8 Passengers.” On the channel, which had over 2.3 million followers before it was removed from YouTube earlier this year, Franke documented raising her six children under her strict parenting style. Her videos often received pushback from her audience and other online users for being overly harsh — like withholding lunch, removing bedroom doors, and threatening to throw away toys and clothes with sentimental value as punishments for minor infractions. In 2020, Franke told Insider that Child Protectives Services had shown up at her doorstep after a Change.org petition accusing her of abuse received over 17,000 signatures. Both she and her husband, Kevin Franke, said that the internet had blown their videos out of proportion, with Franke referring to her haters as “enemies.”
The YouTuber has been in police custody since Aug. 31, when she and her business partner, Jodi Hildebradt, were arrested after Franke’s 12-year-old son went to a neighbor’s house wounded, emaciated, and asking for help. According to police reports, these neighbors told emergency services that the boy had escaped from Hildebrandt’s house to ask for aid, and appeared to have remnants of duct tape on his extremities. Police searched Hildebrandt’s home and found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter, who also appeared to be emaciated, according to the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department. Both Hildebrant and Franke were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, which accuse the two women of “physical injuries or torture, starvation or malnutrition that jeopardizes life, and causing severe emotional harm.” Hildebrandt is expected to appear in court today as well, but is unclear if she will enter a plea.
According to a statement obtained by People, representatives for Franke have claimed she was “led astray” by Hildebrandt’s influence and wants to make amends. “Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrant had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrant took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous,” the statement reads, according to People. “Over an extended period, Ms. Hildebrant systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, and her husband, Kevin Franke. This prolonged isolation resulted in Ms. Franke being subjected to a distorted sense of morality, shaped by Ms. Hildebrandt’s influence.” Representatives for Hildebrandt have not commented on the statement, and were unable to be reached for comment.
Under Utah law, Franke faces up to 60 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. Her sentencing is currently scheduled for February.