Nearly 8 months after 'Mommy Vlogger' Ruby Franke's arrest for child abuse, police have released images and video from inside her home, where her husband had previously admitted "crazy s**t" happened.
In the video, a male neighbor can be heard questioning a small boy, who appear emaciated and frightened. The boy bravely asks that the man call the police. The man's compassion and empathy seemed to overflow as he can be heard fighting back tears as he explained the child's circumstance to the 911 dispatcher.
The 42-year-old former vlogger and producer of the YouTube channel show "8 Passengers," which centered about parenting advice and has since been deleted, was arrested in August 2023 after her 12-year-old son escaped the home and asked a neighbor to call the police.
"My charges are just," Franke said at the sentencing. "They offer safety to my family, accountability to the public, and they did show mercy to me."
She was initially charged with six counts but pleaded not guilty to two of the counts as part of a plea deal to testify against Jodi Hildebrandt, her business partner.
The latter was also charged with aggravated child abuse but also reached a plea agreement, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors allege Franke's children were denied food and water, kicked with boots, and deprived of oxygen.
Authorities believe she "intentionally or knowingly inflicted and allowed another adult to inflict serious physical injuries."
"For the past four years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion," Franke said. "My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate myself from anyone who challenged me."
Hildebrandt also was sentenced Tuesday and received the same sentence. They each have 30 days to file an appeal, the judge said.
"One of the reasons I did not go to trial... I did not want them to emotionally relive the experience, which would have been detrimental to them," Hildebrandt told the court.
"My hope and prayer is that they will heal and move forward to have beautiful lives."
Franke pled guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and was sentenced to 4 consecutive 15 years stints in prison.
