Ruby Franke (41), who is behind the YouTube channel “8 Passengers”, was charged in September with six cases of serious child abuse.
It happened about a week after one of her children was found malnourished and with open wounds on the body. The boy also allegedly had duct tape wrapped around his arms and legs.
Now her lawyer is telling ABC News that the YouTube celebrity will plead guilty to the charges against her in court in Utah on Monday.
YouTube star charged with child abuse
The son escaped
The boy, who is Franke’s son, ran away from the house of Franke’s business partner and mental health counselor Jodi Hildebrandt. The latter is also charged with six cases of serious child abuse.
It is currently unknown how she will respond to the charge.
When the police searched the home, they found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in the same condition. According to the police, all of Franke’s four minor children were placed in the care of child protection.
Thinks she was manipulated
Franke’s lawyer, LaMar Winward, claims in the statement that his client was a victim of manipulation by Hildebrandt. Franke and Hildebrandt worked together in the coaching service ConneXions.
– At first, Franke thought that Jodi Hildebrandt could help her. Hildebrandt took advantage of this and distorted it into something abominable. Over a long period, Hildebrandt systematically isolated Franke from the extended family, the older children and her husband Kevin Franke, says the statement from the lawyer.
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The lawyer says that Franke, since his imprisonment, has worked on himself to understand the full seriousness of his actions.
– She is obliged to take responsibility for the role she had in the events that led to the arrest, and she is already communicating with family members to try to repair the situation, says the lawyer.
Hildebrant’s lawyer has not responded to ABC’s inquiries.
Both women have been in custody since their arrest and earlier in December it became clear that her husband Kevin Franke had filed for divorce from Ruby.
Removed from YouTube
Franke became famous in 2015 through the YouTube channel “8 Passengers”, and gained almost 2.3 million followers before the channel was removed earlier this year. It is not known why the channel was taken down from YouTube.
According to NBC, Franke and her husband were often criticized for being too strict with the children, which led to several people who saw their videos on YouTube reporting them to the police.
Hildebrandt is behind the aforementioned service ConneXions, a service that offers life guidance. ConneXions has previously received criticism for its attitudes about raising children.
2023-12-17 02:53:04
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