Disgraced mummy influencer admits to abusing son, 12

Ruby Franke admitted she tortured her 12-year-old by making him work outdoors for hours and bound his feet when he tried to escape. WARNING: DISTRESSING

Ruby Franke took deep breaths during the Dec. 18, 2023, hearing in St. George, Utah, before entering her guilty plea.

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT

Twisted YouTube influencer Ruby Franke inflicted horrific abuse on her children, who she claimed were “evil and possessed,” according to a disturbing confession that came to light on Tuesday.

The disgraced mumfluencer admitted that she tortured her 12-year-old son by making him work outdoors for hours from May 22 through August 30 and bound his feet when he tried to escape, according to court documents obtained by The New York Post.

During the US summer, Franke made the pre-teen work in the heat without enough water until he had “repeated and serious sunburns,” according to the court document.

She also physically attacked the boy for hours. When the child tried to run away in July, Franke bound his hands and feet.

Ruby Franke took deep breaths during the December 18, 2023, hearing in St. George, Utah, before entering her guilty plea. Picture: Utah County Court

“Many times, the binding included two sets of handcuffs, one on [the child’s] wrists and one on his ankles,” according to harrowing details in the court document.

“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.”

Franke would only treat the boy’s wounds with “homoeopathic remedies and covered with duct tape.”

Franke, who touted parenting advice until she was charged with child abuse, pleaded guilty on Monday but said she is still a “devoted mother.”

The mum of six appeared in shackles in Utah court wearing grey and white jail garb and entered a guilty plea to four felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse in connection to two of her kids.

“With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty,” Franke responded when asked by a judge how she would like to plead.

Mumfluencer Ruby Franke is from the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel. Picture: @passengers_official_/Instagram

Under the plea agreement, Franke agreed to serve a prison term with the sentences running consecutively. Each charge carries a sentence of one to 15 years in prison.

She will be back in court for sentencing on February 20.

Franke also admitted she kicked her son while wearing boots, held his head underwater and cut off his oxygen by placing her hands over his mouth, the plea agreement said.

The disgraced 8 Passengers host also abused her nine-year-old daughter, forcing her to complete physical tasks and denying her food and water.

Franke told her two children that the torture they endured were “acts of love,” and that they were both “evil and possessed.”

The 8 Passengers YouTube channel at one point amassed 2.5 million subscribers and followed the lives of Franke, her husband, Kevin, and their six children.

Kevin Franke denied having any part of the abuse, according to his lawyer.

Ruby Franke and her co-defendant, relationship counsellor and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, were arrested on August 30 after the 12-year-old boy managed to escape Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah.

Ruby Franke’s neighbours warned cops about the YouTuber before she was arrested on child abuse charges. Picture: moms_of_truth/Instagram

The boy went to the home of a neighbour, who said the child was emaciated, had tape around his legs and was “covered in wounds,” according to the 911 call released by cops.

Ruby Franke’s defence lawyer, LaMar Winward, said his client was influenced by Hildebrandt.

The lawyer added Hildebrandt allegedly “systematically isolated” Franke from her extended family, her older children and her husband.

“Ruby Franke is a devoted mother and is also a woman committed to constant improvement,” Winward Law said in a statement.

Franke initially believed that Hildebrandt “had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement,” but said Hildebrandt “took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous.”

This story originally appeared on the New York Post and reproduced with permission