Ruby Franke sentenced to 60 years in prison for child abuse
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt.
YouTubeRuby Franke was sentenced to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
Franke, 41, was sentenced on Tuesday, February 20, to four consecutive prison terms, each ranging from one to 15 years. According to a local news channel CUTVthe Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately determine the prison sentence, and Franke has 30 days to appeal the decision.
The ex-business partner of the former YouTube star Jodi Hildebrandt received the same sentence of four consecutive prison sentences.
'My complaint is just. They provide security for my family and accountability for the public,” Franke said as she addressed the court before she was sentenced. She also took responsibility for the way she and Hildebrandt “inflicted the injuries” on her children.
Franke claimed that she had “come to believe” that the world was a “bad place.” She then thanked the public safety officials who rescued her children.
The internet personality was arrested in August 2023 on two counts of aggravated child abuse after one of her sons escaped from a window in their home and ran to a neighbor's house, where he asked for food and water. Authorities noticed that the child was malnourished and had duct tape on his ankles and wrists.
Ruby Franke.
YouTubeAccording to the arrest report, Franke's son was taken to a hospital and placed in a medical waiting room due to “his deep cuts from being tied up with rope and due to his malnutrition.” The home from which the child escaped was owned by Hildebrandt, who opened the consultancy firm ConneXions Classroom.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse in December 2023 and admitted to torturing her children. As part of the plea deal, Franke agreed to serve a prison term and agreed that her sentences would run consecutively. She also testified against Hildebrandt, who pleaded guilty.
Ruby, who shares children Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve with her husband Kevin Franke, previously documented her family's daily lives on her YouTube channel '8 Passengers'. After facing backlash for some of her parenting choices, Ruby deleted the channel and launched ConneXions with Hildebrandt.
In response to Ruby's legal troubles, her three sisters released a statement, saying: “For the past three years, we have remained silent on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke, for the sake of her children. Behind the public stage we did everything we could to ensure the children were safe.”
The statement continued: “Ruby was arrested, which had to be done. Jodi was arrested, which had to be done. The children are now safe, which is priority number 1.”
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Kevin, meanwhile, filed for divorce a month after Ruby's arrest. He appeared in court earlier this month and received an apology from Ruby when she took the stand.
“You are the love of my life,” Ruby said during a court hearing on Friday, February 16, according to KUTV. “The end of our marriage is a tragedy.”
To report child abuse, please contact: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Welfare Information Gateway for state-specific reporting phone numbers.