Prosecutors charged YouTube mom Ruby Franke, who was arrested in August, with six felony counts of child abuse.
Franke once ran the popular YouTube channel '8 Passengers,' which showed the lives of her, her husband Kevin, and their six children.
Franke Charged With 6 Felony Counts of Child Abuse
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Franke was charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse after her 12-year-old son reached the window to get help for himself and his 10-year-old sister. The police described the child as emaciated and injured, with duct tape around his ankles and wrists.
Jodi Hildebrandt, Franke's business partner, also received the same charges because the children stayed at her house.
According to ABC News, LaMar Winward, Franke's lawyer, announced on Friday that Franke will plead guilty on Monday at Utah's Washington County Fifth District Court.
Winward defended Franke, described her as a devoted mother, and claimed Hildebrandt had manipulated her. Hildebrandt has already faced allegations of misconduct, including leaking confidential information about a client to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that resulted in an 18-month probation on her therapy license.
Hildebrandt's niece has also accused her of child abuse with the same punishments as what Franke's children endured.
"Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrandt had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement," Winward said. He added that Hildebrant took advantage of the search and twisted it into something heinous.
He noted that Hildebrandt systematically isolated Franke from her extended family, older children, and husband. He explained that the prolonged isolation resulted in Franke being subjected to a distorted sense of morality.
The statement revealed that Franke has actively engaged in introspection that has allowed her to reset her moral compass and understand the total weight of her actions since her arrest.
Furthermore, the statement said Franke was committed to taking responsibility for her part in the abuse.
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'8 Passengers' Family Vlog Channel
The '8 Passengers' family vlog channel had 2.5 million subscribers but was deactivated earlier this year. The family was accused of child abuse in some cases by their children and criticism over their parenting style content for years.
The Frankes denied the allegations in a 2020 interview with Business Finder, but the channel never recovered. However, Franke created a new channel named 'ConneXions' with Hildebrandt.
Franke described their channel as a mom's support group before they removed their channel. They claimed that their channel helps treat those lost and stranded in the darkness of distortion who experience addictions, fear, sadness, and all other self-destructive behaviors.
However, their teachings were criticized as damaging, extreme, and authoritarian.
Kevin was not arrested because he was not living with her. Kevin's attorney, Randy Kester, explained that Kevin did not know about the abuse his children experienced because he was forced to move out of the family home.
Kester has also made similar claims about Hildebrand and said Hildebrandt had brainwashed and forced Kevin into isolation when she became the family's counselor. In November, Kevin filed for divorce from his wife.
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