‘Awful person’: Internet bashes Ruby Franke as YouTuber pleads guilty to four counts of child abuse

ST. GEORGE, UTAH: Ruby Franke, a popular parenting advice YouTuber, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, December 19, to four felony counts of child abuse after her malnourished children were discovered at her business partner's home earlier this year, according to Daily Mail.

Franke, 30, was initially charged with six second-degree felony counts that carried a maximum 90-year sentence. Under the plea agreement, the charges were reduced and Franke now faces up to 60 years in prison when she is sentenced in February, 2024.

Ruby Franke pleads guilty to four charges

Wearing a gray and white striped jail uniform, Franke stood quietly in court as the judge read out each charge. "Guilty," she replied flatly the first three times. On the final charge, Franke added: "With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty."

The shocking case came to light in March when one of Franke's severely malnourished sons, age 12, escaped from her business partner Jodi Hildebrand's house begging neighbors for food and water. This led police to discover Franke's five other children, ages 10 to 20.

Franke had built a lucrative career dispensing parenting advice on her family YouTube channel '8 Passengers,' which boasted nearly 2 million followers at its peak. Behind the scenes, prosecutors say she and Hildebrand severely neglected and psychologically abused her children for years.

Hildebrand also faces child abuse charges for her alleged role in the case. Franke claims Hildebrand manipulated and controlled her, creating a "distorted sense of reality" that led her to harm her own children.

Court documents reveal horrific details of abuse

According to court documents, the first count involved forcing one child to do intense physical tasks for hours without food, water or shoes, as per Fox News.

“He was forced to stand in direct sunlight for several days. He was forced to remain outside at all hours of the day and night for extended periods of time. These actions resulted in repeated and serious sunburns with blistered and sloughing skin,” the documents state.

After an escape attempt, “his hands and feet were regularly bound. Binding included being tied to the defendant and to weights. Many times, the binding included using two sets of handcuffs, one on [the child’s] wrists and one on his ankles. At times, with [the child] lying on his stomach, ropes were used to tie the two sets of handcuffs together so that his arms and lower legs were lifted off the ground.”

The second count refers to Franke and another adult trying to brainwash the child into thinking he was possessed by evil and needed punishment. Two other counts relate to similar emotional torture of one of his sisters.

Internet slams Ruby Franke’s courtroom demeanor

Internet was shocked and disgusted witnessing Franke's unsettling smile prior to her guilty plea.

One user starkly remarked, "She literally has nothing to smile about! What is wrong with her?"

Another condemned her, stating, "She clearly has no soul. She is just the embodiment of pure evil, plain and simple. Because if she was any type of normal person, she wouldn't be smiling at being pled guilty to 4 counts of child abuse."

A third user expressed a chilling discomfort, writing, "She gives me the creeps."

Meanwhile, another individual expressed a sense of satisfaction at seeing Franke in a prison jumpsuit, commenting, "So wonderful to see Ruby in her prison jumpsuit lmfao she's finally where she belongs."

The prevailing sentiment was summed up succinctly by a fifth user who simply labeled Franke as "Just an awful person".

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.