- Franke, 41, took a plea deal that shaved 30 years off the maximum sentence and spared her a trial
- She still faces up to 60 years in prison for the horrific abuse of her children
- Franke claims she was manipulated by her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt
Sickening new details about the torture YouTuber Ruby Franke subjected her children to have emerged today, a day after she pleaded guilty to child abuse.
41-year-old Franke admitted yesterday that she had abused at least two of her six children in the past year. She faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date.
Her plea deal, which shaved 30 years off the maximum term imposed on her, included new information about how she tormented two of her children.
Franke amassed millions of followers on her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, where she and her husband offered parenting advice.
41-year-old Franke admitted yesterday that she had abused at least two of her six children in the past year. She faces a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison and will be sentenced at a later date
The sickening abuse Franke subjected her children to was detailed in her plea agreement
Her tips were considered harsh. She refused to take her daughter’s lunch to school when she forgot to pack it to teach her responsibility. She explained on TikTok and YouTube that it was the child’s own “responsibility.”
Newly released court documents reveal that a sadistic Mormon mother is more violent and cruel than her online persona ever suggested.
She was determined to hurt the children, who she believed were “possessed” and “evil.”
The children, ages 12 and 9, were forced to live outside and work barefoot in the punishing Utah summer heat, often handcuffed and handcuffed.
They were denied food and physically punished if they were caught trying to sneak sips of water.
Franke kicked them while they were wearing hard, heavy boots, held their heads under water and sometimes tried to choke them by holding her hands over their noses and mouths.
The children were rescued in August after one of Franke’s sons escaped and ran to a neighbor’s house begging for food and water.
She tied the children up, often handcuffs around their wrists to those around their ankles, and forced them to do physical labor.
Her nine-year-old daughter, referred to only as EF in court documents, was forced to run barefoot on dirt roads.
Franke, her ex-husband Kevin and their six children. She amassed millions of YouTube subscribers and fans by dispensing parenting advice before her arrest in August
Franke (right) and her co-suspect, her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt (left). Hildebrandt has also been charged
Her 11-year-old son, RF, had to stand in direct sunlight for days.
When their handcuffs cut through their skin, Franke and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt covered the wounds with duct tape and then placed the handcuffs over the tape.
Franke admitted all abuse and signed the document last night after appearing in court.
She tearfully told a judge that she confessed to the crimes with “sadness and regret.”
In previous court statements, she claimed through her lawyers to have been manipulated by Hildebrandt.
By the time of Franke’s arrest in August, Franke’s husband had left her, citing differences in parenting styles as the reason for the split.
He filed for divorce in November, three months after her arrest.
