Franke, who also entered a not guilty plea to two charges, entered her fourth and final guilty plea by stating: “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”
A once-popular mommy blogger entered a guilty plea to multiple counts of child abuse on Monday.
Ruby Franke, 41, a mother-of-six whose YouTube channel "8 Passengers" once boasted 2.5 million followers before her controversial parenting style came under fire, is now facing up to 60 years in prison.
She fought back tears in court on Monday while pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony that carries a prison sentence of one to 15 years in the state of Utah.
Those sentences will run consecutive and not concurrent under the agreement struck by Franke and prosecutors.
Franke, who also entered a not guilty plea to two of the aggravated child abuse charges, entered her fourth and final guilty plea by stating: “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”
A detailed statement of facts filed in court on Monday and obtained by Inside Edition Digital provides further details about Franke's offenses.
The first count to which Franke pled guilty "involved the physical torture" of her 12-year-old son, according to the statement.
The statement of facts, which Franke admitted to, described the abuse of RF, saying:
- "RF was forced to do physical tasks for hours and days at a time. These included wall-sits, carrying boxes full of books up and down stairs, and working outside."
- "RF was forced to do outside labor without shoes and in the summer heat."
- "He was forced to stand in the direct sunlight for several days" and "forced to remain outside at all hours of the day and night for extended periods of time," which resulted in repeated and serious sunburns with blistered and sloughing skin."
- "RF was denied adequate water for several of the days he was required to remain in the summer heat, and he was punished when he secretly consumed water."
- "He was denied sufficient food"
- "He was isolated from other people and denied all forms of entertainment including books, notebooks, and electronics."
Then, after her son tried to run away in July, "his hands and feet were regularly bound," according to the statement.
That binding "included being tied to the defendant and to weights," and "many times included using two sets of handcuffs, one on RF's wrists and one on his ankles," said the statement.
At times, Franke would make the boy lie on his stomach while "ropes were used to tie the two sets of handcuffs together so that his arms and lower legs were lifted off the ground," according to the statement.
If ever the handcuffs or ropes caused injury, the boy's wound would be covered in duct tape, according to the statement.
There are also specific instances of Franke's abuse listed in the statement, including:
- "kicking RF while wearing boots"
- "holding his head underwater"
- "cutting off oxygen by placing her hands over his mouth and nose"
RF and one of his sisters were also repeatedly told that they were "evil and possessed" by Franke and another adult, according to counts two and four of the statement.
Count three pertains to Franke's abuse of her 9-year-old daughter, who she "subjected to the same treatment as her brother," according to the statement.
Franke was known for her strict parenting policies, but the abuse allegations came as a complete shock to family members after her arrest earlier this year.
Her nephew Matthew Franke spoke with Inside Editon at the time and said that he was “disgusted and horrified” when he learned the details of the case.
He also told Jim Moret that there were no red flags that made the family even consider the possibility that his cousins might have been abused by their mother.
“We always thought she was kind of weird on the stricter side but, nothing that screamed abuse,” explained Matthew.
Franke’s sister Julie Deru echoed that as well, saying: “We were in complete shock. We had no idea what was happening.”
The children have been with their father, Kevin, ever since Franke's arrest.
He and his wife had been separated for just over a year when their son RF escaped out the window of the Utah home where he lived with his mother and siblings, and ran to a neighbor for help.
“He's emaciated, he's got tape around his legs. He's hungry and he's thirsty,” that neighbor said when she contacted authorities. “I think he’s been detained. He’s obviously covered in wounds.”
A police investigation into the matter ensued, and led to the arrest of both Franke and her podcasting partner, Jodi Hildebrandt.
A statement released by Winward Law on Monday said that Franke "was subjected to a distorted sense of reality, shaped by Ms. Hilderbrandt's influence."
Franke returned to custody after entering her plea and will be sentenced on Feb. 20.
Her husband Kevin, who has not been charged with any crime, has also officially filed for divorce.
Hilderbrandt has not yet entered a plea. Attempts by Inside Edition to obtain a statement from her attorney were unsuccessful.
