The offspring of Ruby Franke, a prominent parenting advice content creator on YouTube, was recently observed jesting about his mother receiving a 60-year prison term for mistreating her children.
Ruby Franke, aged 42, gained a substantial YouTube following due to her strict parenting approach and had previously admitted to neglecting and mistreating her children in Utah.
In a social media video, her son Chad Franke, one of six siblings, was seen dancing with the caption: “My mom’s in prison,” in response to her earlier caption: “You’d love my mom!”
Further Details: Shamed family YouTuber Ruby Franke subjected children to starvation and confinement, as revealed in court documents
Further Details: YouTube personality Ruby Franke expresses remorse during sentencing for child abuse
During the court hearing, Ruby Franke’s partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, aged 54, received the same sentence. They are both facing four terms of imprisonment ranging from one to 15 years, with the duration to be determined by the Utah parole board.
In the courtroom, Utah prosecutor Eric Clarke described how two of Franke’s children were subjected to conditions resembling a “concentration camp,” portraying her as a “significant menace” to the local community.
Mr. Clarke informed the court, “The children were routinely deprived of basic necessities such as food, water, proper bedding, and any form of entertainment.”
Franke, addressing her absent children in court, expressed her apologies and declared that she would not contest the judge’s ruling.
“I will forever grieve for causing pain to your innocent souls,” Franke conveyed to her children.
“My desire to do anything for you was twisted into something monstrous. I stripped away from you all that was gentle, secure, and pure.”
Ruby Franke and her spouse, Kevin Franke, initiated the 8 Passengers YouTube channel in 2015, chronicling their journey of raising six kids and garnering a substantial audience.
Subsequently, she collaborated with Hildebrandt’s counseling firm, ConneXions Classroom, conducting parenting workshops, launching another YouTube channel, and sharing content on their joint Instagram account, Moms of Truth.
As part of her plea agreement, Franke confessed to assaulting her son by kicking him with boots, submerging his head in water, and obstructing his breathing with her hands.
She and Hildebrandt also admitted to subjecting him to strenuous physical labor in hot weather with limited food and water, leading to dehydration and severe sunburns.
The boy was made to believe that these actions were expressions of love, as outlined in the plea deals.
Hildebrandt acknowledged coercing Franke’s youngest daughter, then nine years old, to repeatedly jump into a cactus and run barefoot on gravel roads until her feet blistered.
Following the arrests, the boy and girl were hospitalized and placed in state custody along with two other siblings. Prior to her arrest in 2023, Ruby Franke had already sparked controversy within the parenting vlogging community.
The Franke family faced online criticism for various parenting choices, including the decision to ban their eldest son from his room for seven months as a consequence of pranking his younger sibling.
In her videos, Ruby Franke recounted incidents like refusing to deliver lunch to a forgetful kindergartener and threatening to decapitate a young girl’s stuffed animal as punishment for cutting objects in the house.
The 8 Passengers YouTube channel has since been discontinued, and Kevin Franke has initiated divorce proceedings.
Both Franke and Hildebrandt have a 30-day window to appeal against their convictions.