Infamous mommy vlogger Ruby Franke sentenced to up to 60 years for child abuse

MicroWave@lemmy.world to News@lemmy.world – 270 points – Infamous mommy vlogger Ruby Franke sentenced to up to 60 years for child abuse
msnbc.com

Ruby Franke, a once-popular online mom influencer with millions of followers, has been sentenced to four one- to 15-year terms in prison for child abuse.

Franke pleaded guilty in December to four counts of aggravated abuse against her children. She and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, had each been charged with six counts of felony child abuse in September.

Utah Judge John J. Walton sentenced both to four one- to 15-year terms on Tuesday, but state law limits the maximum aggregate sentence for consecutive terms to 30 years. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine the length of time they will spend behind bars, NBC News reported.

For years, the 42-year-old mother documented her strict parenting style with her husband Kevin Franke and her six children on her YouTube channel, “8 Passengers.” She and Hildebrandt also doled out parenting advice in videos.

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Arrest and charges

On August 30, 2023, Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in Ivins, Utah, and on September 1, 2023, both were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse, a felony.[1][2][5][6][13][14] According to a statement from the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department, Franke's 12-year-old son, who appeared emaciated and had "open wounds and duct tape around the extremities", had climbed through a window of Hildebrandt's house and asked at a neighboring house for food and water.[1][2][5][13] Emergency services found Franke's 10-year-old daughter in the house, also malnourished; both children were taken to a hospital, where the boy was treated for severe malnourishment and "deep lacerations from being tied up with rope".[1][6] A search of the house found evidence "consistent with the markings" on the 12-year-old, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services took the boy and girl and two more of Franke's children into care.[1][2] Police later reported that according to the boy, cayenne pepper and honey had been used to dress his wounds.[11][15]

Personal life

The Frankes are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[4][5] Their oldest daughter has stated that she has long disapproved of her mother's parenting strategies.[2][5]

Franke has three sisters who are also parenting influencers;[2][4][5] they disassociated themselves from her actions in a joint statement[2][5][12] and later in individual videos.[25]

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What in the actual fuck

The Frankes are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Oh, ofc it was religion again

Yea soon as I read that it made a lot more sense how these two people acted worse than animals.

"deep lacerations from being tied up with rope"

I know from first-hand experience that there must have been insane amounts of force for ropes to have this effect. Being tied up against your will while enduring the extreme pain of ropes in wounds must have been hell, especially for a child. This alone is traumatising on so many levels.

I'm almost afraid to ask but, you have first hand experience with 'deep lacerations from being tied up with rope'?

I'm going to go ahead and imagine in my head that this is just because of kinky stuff for this person.

No, I never had injuries from ropes, but I assume I know how much more force would have been necessary to inflict those wounds. I'm sorry for the poor wording, English is not my first language.

Horrible atrocities. So sad that kids had to endure that.

And they will have a lifetime of PTSD to deal with on top of what they've already suffered.

I had the same thought. I know people with complex PTSD from mild but persistent childhood abuse and it has made life hell for some of them. I can't even imagine what it must be like for these children.

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