Now, the disgraced family vlogger will face time behind bars after Utah prosecutors laid out harrowing new details about the four aggravated child abuse charges she pleaded guilty to on Monday.
Franke, 41, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse on Monday, whileThe Salt Lake Tribunereportedthat prosecutors provided more details about some of the disturbing accusations against her and her former parenting advice podcast partner,Jodi Hildebrandt, who also faces aggravated child abuse charges.
All the while, Franke reportedly berated her youngest daughter, saying she was “evil” and “possessed,” prosecutors alleged.
Ron Chaffin/St. George News via AP
Officers also said they discovered what appeared to be wounds from rope around the boy’s wrists and ankles. “The victim informed officers that ‘Jodi’ put the ropes on their ankles and wrists and that ‘they’ used cayenne pepper and honey to dress the wounds.”
Franke pleaded guilty in front of 5th District Judge John J. Walton, who told the mother of six that there “won’t be any argument” about whether she faces prison time once she’s sentenced in late February.“With my deepest regret, and sorrow for my family and my children — guilty,” Franke said while delivering her final guilty plea, according to theTribune.
Franke and Hildebrandt were both arrested and originally charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse each in late August. The pair, who shared controversial parenting advice via their religious Connexions podcast, were taken into custody after a neighbor tearfully called 911 when Franke’s youngest son appeared “emaciated” on his front doorstep, asking for food and help.
Another neighbortoldPEOPLE in September that they witnessed a change in demeanor surrounding the Franke family over the last year, as her two youngest children went from being ever-present in the neighborhood to suddenly absent from public view.
“She really started isolating her kids,” the neighbor said.
MOMS OF TRUTH/ INSTAGRAM
“Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrant had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrant took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous," Franke’s attorneys’ statement to Fox 13 reportedly said.
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PEOPLE has reached out to Franke’s family for comment. After Franke’s arrest in August, her oldest daughter Sharicelebrated the moment, writing, “Finally,” on Instagram alongside an image of authorities outside the family’s home. Franke’s sisters have alsodistanced themselves from her, writing in a joint statement that her arrest “needed to happen.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
