Ruby Franke ‘probably doesn’t want children to testify’: Attorney

Ruby Franke is charged with six counts of child abuse
She used to run a parenting YouTube channel with her husband
Weber: 'The evidence was so strong'

Updated: Dec 18, 2023 / 08:22 PM CST

Warning: The following contains descriptions of child abuse. To find out the number to report abuse in your state, click here.

(NewsNation) — NewsNation legal contributor Jesse Weber told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas that Ruby Franke‘s decision to take a plea deal was not surprising.

“The evidence was so strong,” Weber said during “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” “Given these accusations. I’m not surprised that she took the deal. 1. I don’t think she would have won this case. And 2, if I take everything that Ruby Franke said as true. And she feels really bad, she probably doesn’t want her children to have to testify. I think that’s the goal of prosecutors.”

The Utah mom and former YouTube creator Ruby Franke pleaded guilty Monday to four counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse, NewsNation local affiliate KTVX reported.

The other two counts Ruby Franke, 41, had initially been charged with were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, KTVX wrote.

Judge John J. Walton accepted the plea deal, and scheduled Ruby Frank’s sentencing for Feb. 20. During court, Franke pleaded individually to all counts, saying on the fourth she pleads, “with my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”

Ruby and her husband, Kevin Franke, once gave parenting advice on the popular “8 Passengers” YouTube channel. Critics of the channel said Ruby Franke was openly abusing her children via this platform, and that she showed her children in vulnerable moments.

The channel was removed from YouTube this year. After that, Franke began a new venture with business partner Jodi Hildebrandt called ConneXions Classroom, which was focused on counseling.

Winward Law announced in a statement over the weekend that Franke was taking the plea deal. The statement said the abuse happened while she was under Hildebrandt’s influence. As part of the plea deal, Franke agreed to testify against Hildebrandt, who has also been charged with child abuse.

NewsNation digital producer Steph Whiteside and the Associated Press contributed to this article.