Ruby Franke, a former family vlogger on YouTube, was sentenced to four consecutive one-to-fifteen-year terms in prison for four counts of aggravated child abuse six months after being charged. Franke’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, also received the same sentence. Both Ruby and Jodi will be eligible for parole in four years, but could serve as many as sixty.
Jodie Hildebrandt started her company, “Connexions,” in 2012. The company offered DVD sets and workshops focusing on enhancing relationships in the quest for “spiritual freedom.”
Ruby Franke and Jodie Hilebrandt began working together in 2022 with a Youtube channel titled “Connexions” which offered relationship and parenting advice.
The business partners were arrested in August 2023 after police found one of Franke’s sons emaciated, with open wounds, and bound with duct tape. He had escaped Hildebrandt’s home and ran to a neighbor’s house. When the police arrived, they also found one of Franke’s daughters in a similar condition in Hildebrandt’s home.
Ruby’s Husband, and father of their six children, Kevin Franke, was separated from Ruby at the time of the incident and has not been charged with any crimes. Kevin’s attorney made a statement in September 2023 stating the separation was encouraged by Hildebrandt, that Kevin “wanted to work through concerns as a family” and the separation was “at Ruby’s directive.” Kevin’s attorney finished his statement by saying “He is focused on doing what is best for his kids at this point, even if that means undergoing some introspection.”
Kevin filed a petition for divorce from Ruby in September 2023, after being separated for over twelve months.
The couple’s four minor children, Eve (9), Russel (12), Julie (14), and Abby (16), have been taken into Child Protective Services following Ruby’s arrest.
Ruby Franke’s YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” amassed more than 2.3 million subscribers. The channel featured family vlogs, along with controversial parenting and relationship advice from Franke and Hildebrandt.
YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke has been sentenced to four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of child abuse in Utah in December. https://t.co/vo8ef7V1cU pic.twitter.com/5F4Yk3lsHQ
— ABC News (@ABC) February 20, 2024
Even before this case began, authorities had received several reports of mistreatment of the children from concerned viewers online. This case has prompted many online users to delve deeper into the darker aspects of family vlog channels, which frequently appear to foster an unusual dynamic within families, potentially resulting in abuse and mistreatment.
While Franke has acknowledged her wrongs and has assisted prosecutors throughout the case, Washington County attorney Eric Clarke said that Hildebrandt seems to feel “little to no remorse” and she “repeatedly claimed that she is the victim and the children are the perpetrators.” Clarke also stated, “It could be argued that Miss Franke should receive a lesser sentence than Miss Hildebrandt because of her more recent willingness to cooperate with the state.”
In Hildenbrandt’s statement in court, she stated, “I desire for [ the children ] to heal physically and emotionally” and that “One of the reasons I did not go to trial is because I did not want them to emotionally relive the experience, which would have been detrimental to them. My hope and prayer is that they will heal and move forward to have beautiful lives.”
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