Ruby Franke has pleaded responsible to felony baby abuse fees as a part of a plea deal on Monday, December 18, 2023, per NBC News. She appeared in courtroom in Washington County, Utah. The former YouTube star, 41, will probably be sentenced on February 20. She can face up to 15 years in jail and a $100,000 tremendous. “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty,” she stated in courtroom.
As the former vlogger awaits sentencing, discover out extra about Ruby and her fees.
Ruby Was a Family Vlogger
Franke started her YouTube channel “8 Passengers” in 2015, and he or she rose to prominence on the web site along with her each day video vlogs. She would put up movies every day detailing her life along with her six youngsters and her husband in Utah. The channel has since been taken down, however it did have 2.5 million subscribers at one time, per The New York Times. The movies garnered consideration for her strict parenting fashion in addition to the each day glimpses into their lives.
Fans Began Accusing Her of Child Abuse in 2020
Viewers started to categorical concern for Franke’s youngsters in 2020, when one in every of her sons stated that he had slept on a beanbag chair for months as a punishment, in accordance to The Washington Post. In different movies, she talked about letting one in every of her daughters go hungry so she would be taught to pack her lunch, and one other the place one in every of her daughters had misplaced “the privilege of eating dinner.” Fans started a Change.org petition to attempt to get an investigation into her.
After Franke was arrested, her oldest daughter Shari stated that she and her members of the family had tried to alert authorities for a very long time in an Instagram Story. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this,” she stated.
Franke’s three sisters are additionally household influencers, and after their sister’s arrest two of them launched a joint assertion to say that they supported their sister’s arrest. “Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe,” they stated. “Ruby was arrested which needed to happen. Jodie was arrested which needed to happen. The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority.”
She Was Charged With 6 Counts of Felony Child Abuse
Franke and her enterprise accomplice Jodi Nan Hildebrandt had been arrested on August 30, 2023 after one in every of the vlogger’s youngsters ran away to a neighbor’s residence and requested to name 911. Police reported that he was emaciated and had duct tape round his wrists and ankles for unclear causes, per The Guardian. When police went to Franke’s residence, they discovered one in every of her different daughters who additionally appeared malnourished. Her son claimed that Hildebrandt had tied rope round his arms and used cayenne pepper and honey on the wounds brought on by the rope. Both youngsters, plus two extra of Franke’s minor youngsters, had been taken into state custody.
With the information that Franke has plead responsible, Washington County Attorney Eric Clarke issued a press release, per The Times. “We are pleased that Ms. Franke has accepted responsibility for her criminal actions and that justice is being served to the extent possible in this type of situation,” he stated.
Her Husband Filed for Divorce in November 2023
Franke and her husband Kevin separated in 2022. He filed for divorce in November 2023, per NBC News. Her attorneys stated that she was “devastated” by the cut up in a press release.
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