Former YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke, known for giving parenting advice to millions online, was jailed for up to 60 years on Tuesday after pleading guilty to child abuse charges. The independent.
Franke, a mother of six, broke down in tears as she addressed the court before Judge Richard Christofferson sentenced her to four consecutive terms of one to 15 years. These sentences stem from four counts of child abuse to which she pleaded guilty in December the newspaper.
The charges relate to the abuse of two of Franke's children, aged nine and 11 at the time, which allegedly involved psychological manipulation, food deprivation and isolation. Prosecutors describe the victims' living conditions as “concentration camp-like” and call her a significant threat to the community.
Also read | Parenting advice YouTuber Ruby Franke pleads guilty to child abuse
Franke's former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, who was also involved in the abuse, received the same sentence.
“The children were regularly denied food, water, beds to sleep in and virtually all forms of entertainment,” said Utah Attorney General Eric Clarke.
In court, Franke was in tears after the verdict. She apologized to her children, saying, “I was so disoriented that I thought dark was light and right was wrong.”
“I was led to believe that this world was a bad place, filled with police officers who control, hospitals who injure people, government agencies who brainwash, church leaders who lie and covet, husbands who refuse to protect, and children who need abuse.” , she says. said.
In August 2023, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested following an incident involving Franke's malnourished 12-year-old son. The child escaped through a window in Hildebrandt's home in Ivins, Utah, and sought help from a neighbor by asking for food and water. Police records show that the child suffered cuts from being tied up with a rope.