YouTubers Ruby Franke & Jodi Hildebrandt Plead Guilty to Child Abuse
Update December 27: Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt taken an as-yet undisclosed plea deal, according to Rolling Stone. Franke pleaded guilty last week to four counts of second-degree felony child abuse and agreed to testify against her business partner, Hildebrandt. As part of her deal, two of her counts were dropped. This week, Hildebrandt took a similar deal, copping to four counts of felony aggravated child abuse. Two of her counts were dropped. In a statement, Franke’s lawyers laid most of the blame on Hildebrandt. They said she “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.”
Original story follows.
Ruby Franke — who ran the “8 Passengers” parenting YouTube channel — has been charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, alongside her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt. According to CBS News, Franke and Hildebrandt are accused of “ a combination of multiple physical injuries or torture; starvation or malnutrition that jeopardizes life; and causing severe emotional harm to two children.” They’re each looking at 1-15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
The pair were arrested last week after Franke’s malnourished son sought help at a neighbor’s house. Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of Hildebrandt’s window. The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said he appeared “emaciated and malnourished” and had “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities.” After the child was transported to a local hospital, authorities discovered another child in a similar condition. Four other children were taken into care by the Department of Child and Family Services.
Franke’s sisters Ellie Mecham and Julie Griffiths Deru issued a joint statement on Instagram, claiming they had been keeping quiet about their sister “for the sake of her children,” but that they agree with the outcome of the investigation. “Ruby was arrested which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested which needed to happen. The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority,” the statement reads.