Ruby Franke pleads guilty to child abuse

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Ruby Franke, who used to be a popular vlogger with her family, has admitted to committing several acts of severe child abuse against two of her own children. These charges were filed against her earlier in the year due to the severe neglect and malnourishment she subjected them to.

On Monday, Ms Franke, a 41-year-old mother of six, who previously provided parenting tips on a now-famous YouTube channel named "8 Passengers", stood before a judge in the Washington County, Utah courtroom. She was dressed in a jail uniform with gray and white stripes.

She accepted her culpability for the first three allegations separately, while the remaining two were dropped. She expressed remorse and sorrow for her family and kids and admitted wrongdoing for the fourth charge by saying, "Guilty".

The judge named John J. Walton has agreed with the plea deal and arranged for the pronouncement of sentence on 20th February. The deal doesn't exempt her from the possibility of being sent to jail, as admitted by her attorney, LaMar Winward. It is left to the judge to determine the sentence based on his discretion.

The ex-vlogger was taken into police custody with her business partner Jodi Hildebrant on August 30th, after authorities discovered that one of Ms. Franke's offspring was allegedly undernourished, with visible injuries. Later on, they found that yet another one of her children was also malnourished.

In September, the Washington County Attorney's Office informed NBC News that every offense is punishable with imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years and a monetary penalty not exceeding $10,000.

Ms Hildrebrant is facing identical charges of child abuse, but she has not yet declared whether she accepts or denies the accusations.

On the 30th of August, Ruby Franke was taken into custody when her son ran away to seek sustenance.

The Fifth District Court of Utah is a judicial institution that operates within the state of Utah. As a court of law, it is responsible for hearing a wide range of legal cases and disputes, ranging from civil matters to criminal trials. It is made up of a team of experienced judges and legal personnel who work together to uphold the law and ensure that justice is served in the state of Utah. Whether you are dealing with a minor legal issue or a more serious matter, the Fifth District Court of Utah is there to provide you with the guidance and support you need to navigate the legal system.

The plea deal was made because the lawyers representing Ms Franke expressed their desire to settle the matter in a timely manner.

Winward Law released a statement, which marks the initial instance where Ms Franke and her legal team have recognized her accusations. The statement mentions that Ms Franke was a caring mother and constantly worked to better herself.

Furthermore, they expressed that they think Ms Hildebrandt exploited Ms Franke's desire to better herself and manipulated it into something truly atrocious.

For a long time, Ms Hildebrant deliberately separated Ruby Franke from her relatives, grown-up children, and spouse, Kevin Franke.

According to the statement, Ms Franke was exposed to a twisted moral perception due to her prolonged confinement, which was molded by Ms Hildebrandt's impact.

In the blog post, it was mentioned that the person was deeply saddened by the fact that her spouse, Kevin Franke, had asked for a divorce. However, she comprehends his reasons for doing so and is dedicated to facilitating the process of reuniting their kids with him.

After Ms Franke was arrested, her husband decided to file for divorce at the Fourth District Court of Utah three months later.

Mr. Franke has always claimed that he had no idea about the supposed child abuse because he had been separated from his family for a while before the arrests were made.

Although she feels the agony, she displays admiration for his choices and stays optimistic that she can aid in the restoration of trust and nurturing of comprehension in their family in due course, according to the declaration.

Ms Hildebrandt and Ms Franke were arrested and accused of a wrongdoing subsequent to Ms Franke's 12-year-old offspring absconding through a window of Ms Hildebrant's place of residence. The young child headed towards a neighbor's home, imploring for sustenance and a drink of water, as per the authorities.

Ms Franke faced charges of child abuse after it was discovered that two out of her six children were taped with duct tape and malnourished.

According to legal papers, the young lad seemed to be suffering from extreme malnourishment, and had "serious cuts from being bound with rope and due to his poor diet."

He was taken to a nearby hospital because his health was said to be "very serious."

The law enforcement contacted and conducted a thorough inspection of the residence. They came across a young girl who was also experiencing some malnourishment issues, just like the previous case.

According to court documents, Ms Hildebrandt apparently applied cayenne pepper and honey directly onto the wounds of Ms Franke's kids.

After some troubling discoveries, the Department of Child and Family Services removed the four young children of Ms. Franke from her custody.

The accusations of mistreating children have surfaced after a long period of time where many people had expressed worries and suspicions about the YouTube channel 8Passengers. This vlog features Ms. Franke and her spouse, who had built a reputation by showcasing their family's daily routines and dispensing tips on parenting.

Nevertheless, numerous spectators got worried regarding the rigorous method of upbringing that the duo demonstrated in their footage. For example, the kids were punished by depriving them of food and Christmas gifts.

Ms. Franke punished her son Chad for playing a trick on his brother by making him sleep on a beanbag for a while. However, when asked by Business Insider, she said that it was Chad's decision to sleep on the beanbag instead of sharing a room with his younger brother.

When people watched what was happening on the channel, they became very upset and decided to start an online petition in 2020. This was because they saw something bad happen and other times when the punishments were too harsh. Because of this, they even called child services to help.

Although the channel was ultimately removed, Ms Franke and Ms Hildebrandt kept on providing parenting tips together in videos for Connexions, which is the name of Ms Hildebrandt's therapy business.