Utah therapist Jodi Hildebrandt pleaded guilty and was arrested after physically and emotionally abusing the children of the parenting advice vlogger Ruby Franke on YouTube on Wednesday.
Hildebrandt was Franke's business partner, a mother of six who ran a once-popular YouTube channel called '8 Passengers.'
Hildebrandt Pleads Guilty
Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse for abusing Franke's children. The two collaborated at Hildebrandt's counseling business, ConneXions Classroom, where they gave parenting workshops, launched another YouTube channel, and posted content on their joint Instagram account, 'Moms of Truth.'
They doled advice and promoted honest lifestyles, using their brand as parenting role models to conceal what was happening behind the scenes. According to a 911 call released by the St. George Police Department on August 30, Franke's son fled through a window of Hildebrandt's home in the southern Utah community of Ivins. He urged a neighbor to contact the police.
Franke's son had duct tape wrapped around his wrists and ankles and was covered in wounds. He told authorities that Hildebrandt dressed his cuts with honey, chili pepper, and strapped cords around his limbs.
Douglas Terry, Hildebrandt's lawyer, stated that his client pleaded guilty rather than waiting for a later time because she did not want Franke's children to be forced to testify.
"She takes responsibility, and it is her main concern at this point that these children can heal, both physically and emotionally," Terry said.
Following their arrests at Hildebrandt's residence, the two women faced six felony counts of severe child abuse. Hildebrandt entered a guilty plea to four charges, and two counts were dismissed on Wednesday as part of her plea deal.
Franke also pleaded guilty to four of her six charges and not guilty to two on the December 18 hearing. A prison sentence of one to fifteen years was imposed for each charge.
After accepting the plea deals, Judge John J. Walton scheduled the sentencing for both women on February 20. The judge will determine Franke and Hildebrandt's sentencing, as they have agreed to serve prison terms.
Hildebrant, Franke's Confession of Abuse
Hildebrandt revealed that she had intentionally caused two little children who lived at her house considerable physical harm and had permitted another adult to do the same. The documents reveal new information regarding Hildebrandt's repeated physical coercion of Franke's youngest daughter to jump into a cactus.
She claimed she kept the girl alone and made her run barefoot on dirt roads for long periods. Furthermore, she admitted that she had assisted Franke in torturing her younger son. According to their confessions, both women told the two kids that they were evil, possessed, and in need of punishment to turn around.
The plea bargains stated that the son was informed that everything being done to him was a gesture of love. Franke confessed earlier this month that she had subjected her kid to heavy labor for long hours in the summer heat without enough food or water, which had resulted in sunburns and dehydration. He was confined to an isolated room without access to books or devices.
Following his failed attempt to flee in July, he was frequently restrained by ropes and occasionally handcuffed on his hands and feet. In her plea deal, Franke admitted that she had kicked her son while wearing boots, submerged his head, and covered his mouth and nose with her hands. The boy and girl were taken to the hospital in August and were eventually placed in state custody along with two more of their siblings.
