Ruby Franke pleaded responsible to felony baby abuse fees as a part of a plea deal on Monday, December 18, 2023, per NBC Information. She appeared in courtroom in Washington County, Utah. “With my deepest remorse and sorrow for my household and my youngsters, responsible,” she mentioned in courtroom on the finish of 2023. The previous YouTube star, 42, was then sentenced on February 20, 2024. Ruby was sentenced to 4 to 60 years in jail on 4 counts of aggravated baby abuse, as reported by Enterprise Insider.
The 42-year-old and her enterprise associate Jodi Hildebrandt won’t serve greater than 30 years, because the outlet reported that the regulation in Utah “prohibits consecutive sentences exceeding” that size of time. On the day of her sentencing, a choose ordered Ruby to consecutively serve “one to fifteen years behind bars for every of the 4 counts.”
On February 27, 2025, Hulu launched Satan within the Household: The Fall of Ruby Franke, which delves deep into Ruby’s case. Amid the most recent, discover out extra about Ruby and her fees, under.
Ruby Was a Household Vlogger
Franke started her YouTube channel “8 Passengers” in 2015, and he or she rose to prominence on the web site along with her day by day video vlogs. She would publish movies every day detailing her life along with her six youngsters and her husband in Utah. The channel has since been taken down, however it did have 2.5 million subscribers at one time, per The New York Occasions. The movies garnered consideration for her strict parenting fashion in addition to the day by day glimpses into their lives.
Followers Started Accusing Her of Baby Abuse in 2020
Viewers started to specific concern for Franke’s youngsters in 2020, when one among her sons mentioned that he had slept on a beanbag chair for months as a punishment, in keeping with The Washington Submit. In different movies, she talked about letting one among her daughters go hungry so she would study to pack her lunch, and one other the place one among her daughters had misplaced “the privilege of consuming dinner.” Followers started a Change.org petition to attempt to get an investigation into her.
After Franke was arrested, her oldest daughter Shari mentioned that she and her members of the family had tried to alert authorities for a very long time in an Instagram Story. “We’ve been attempting to inform the police and CPS for years about this,” she mentioned.
Franke’s three sisters are additionally household influencers, and after their sister’s arrest two of them launched a joint assertion to say that they supported their sister’s arrest. “Behind the general public scene we now have executed every thing we may to attempt and ensure the children have been protected,” they mentioned. “Ruby was arrested which wanted to occur. Jodie was arrested which wanted to occur. The youngsters are actually protected, which is the primary precedence.”
She Was Charged With 6 Counts of Felony Baby Abuse
Franke and her enterprise associate Jodi Nan Hildebrandt have been arrested on August 30, 2023 after one of many vlogger’s youngsters ran away to a neighbor’s house and requested to name 911. Police reported that he was emaciated and had duct tape round his wrists and ankles for unclear causes, per The Guardian. When police went to Franke’s house, they discovered one among her different daughters who additionally appeared malnourished. Her son claimed that Hildebrandt had tied rope round his arms and used cayenne pepper and honey on the injuries brought on by the rope. Each youngsters, plus two extra of Franke’s minor youngsters, have been taken into state custody.
With the information that Franke has plead responsible, Washington County Lawyer Eric Clarke issued an announcement, per The Occasions. “We’re happy that Ms. Franke has accepted accountability for her felony actions and that justice is being served to the extent potential in any such state of affairs,” he mentioned.
Throughout her February 2024 sentencing, Ruby reportedly sobbed in response to the sentencing. “I used to be led to imagine that this world was an evil place, crammed with cops who management, hospitals that injure, authorities businesses that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to guard, and kids who want abuse,” she mentioned, per Enterprise Insider. “My option to imagine and behave this paranoia culminated into felony exercise, for which I stand earlier than you as we speak able to take accountability.”
“I can see now over the previous 4 years, I used to be in a deep undercurrent that led us to hazard,” Ruby continued, talking to her youngsters. “I might by no means have led you to darkness knowingly. I used to be so disoriented that I believed darkish was gentle and proper was unsuitable. I might do something on this world for you.” In the meantime, Jodi was sentenced to the identical period of time in jail as Ruby.
Her Husband Filed for Divorce in November 2023
Franke and her husband Kevin separated in 2022. He filed for divorce in November 2023, per NBC Information. Her attorneys mentioned that she was “devastated” by the cut up in an announcement.
