By Hannah Schoenbaum
February 21, 2024 — 3.34pm
Salt Lake City: Ruby Franke, a mother of six from Utah who previously shared parenting tips with a vast audience through a once-popular YouTube channel, tearfully expressed regret to her children for subjecting them to physical and emotional mistreatment. Subsequently, a judge handed her a maximum prison term of 30 years.
Franke admitted to four charges of aggravated child abuse, leading to a sentence of up to 15 years for each count, to be served consecutively.
The severity of Ruby Franke’s penalties escalated significantly. Credit: Instagram
During the court proceedings, Franke attributed her actions to feeling “manipulated” by her former fellow YouTuber and business partner.
She chose not to contest the length of her sentence and instead took a moment to acknowledge the local law enforcement, medical professionals, and social workers whom she referred to as the “angels” who rescued her children from her harmful influence. Franke highlighted her vulnerability under the sway of her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, who was previously hired as a mental health counselor for Franke’s youngest son before their professional collaboration. Hildebrandt, too, received four consecutive prison terms ranging from one to 15 years.
However, both women are expected to serve a maximum of 30 years behind bars, as per a Utah statute that limits the total duration of consecutive sentences. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will evaluate their conduct during incarceration to determine the actual time served.
“I will never cease to grieve for causing pain to your innocent souls,” Franke expressed to her children, who were absent from the sentencing in St. George. She lamented how her genuine intentions to protect them were twisted into something dark and harmful.
Ruby Franke pictured during a recent court hearing. Credit: St George News/AP
At 42 years old, Franke and Hildebrandt, 54, pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse for attempting to persuade Franke’s two youngest children that they were inherently evil, possessed, and in need of punishment for repentance. The arrests of the women took place at Hildebrandt’s residence in Ivins, Utah, last August after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped and sought help from a neighbor, prompting a call to the St. George Police Department.
The boy, found malnourished with injuries and bound with duct tape, revealed to investigators that Hildebrandt had restrained him with ropes and treated his wounds with cayenne pepper and honey, as indicated in a search warrant.
Prosecutor Eric Clarke characterized the living conditions orchestrated by Franke and Hildebrandt as reminiscent of “a concentration camp-like setting.”
While Franke displayed remorse and cooperated with legal proceedings, Hildebrandt, according to Clarke, failed to take responsibility and continued to shift blame onto the children. During the live-streamed hearing, Hildebrandt’s attorney, Douglas Terry, maintained that his client acknowledged her actions and was not the unrepentant individual portrayed by the media.
Jodi Hildebrandt attending a court session in the previous year. Credit: St George News/AP
In a concise statement, Hildebrandt fell short of offering an apology but expressed her love for the children and her desire for their healing. She emphasized to Judge John Walton that she accepted the plea deal to spare the children from the trauma of testifying in a trial.
Hildebrandt pleaded guilty in December to four of the six counts of aggravated child abuse, with the remaining two counts dismissed as part of the agreement. Similarly, Franke admitted guilt to four out of six charges while pleading not guilty to the other two.
Ruby and Kevin Franke initiated the 8 Passengers YouTube channel in 2015, gaining a substantial following as they chronicled their journey of raising six children. Subsequently, Ruby collaborated with Hildebrandt’s counseling firm, ConneXions Classroom, conducting parenting workshops, launching a separate YouTube channel, and sharing content on their joint Instagram account, “Moms of Truth.”
In her plea agreement, Franke confessed to acts such as kicking her son while wearing boots, submerging his head in water, and blocking his airways with her hands. She and Hildebrandt admitted to subjecting him to strenuous physical labor in high temperatures without adequate hydration or sustenance, resulting in dehydration and severe sunburns. The plea deals revealed that the boy was led to believe that these actions were borne out of love.
Hildebrandt also acknowledged coercing Franke’s youngest daughter, then nine years old, into painful acts like jumping into a cactus repeatedly and running barefoot on gravel until her feet blistered. Following the arrests, the boy and girl, along with two other siblings, were hospitalized and placed under state care.
Prior to her arrest in 2023, Ruby Franke had already sparked controversy within the parent vlogging community. Criticisms were directed at the Frankes for certain parenting choices, including an incident where their eldest son was prohibited from his room for seven months due to a prank on his sibling. Other instances involved Franke’s discussions about punitive actions like withholding lunch from a forgetful kindergartener and threatening to damage a young girl’s stuffed animal as retribution for cutting items in the house.
The 8 Passengers YouTube channel has since been discontinued, and Kevin Franke has initiated divorce proceedings.
Both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt have a 30-day window to appeal their sentences.