YouTube mummy blogger Ruby Franke has been sentenced to up to 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
Franke appeared in court alongside her former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt who also received the same sentence. They will both serve four terms of one to 15 years behind bars consecutively, which is the maximum for each count a person can serve for these charges under Utah law. However, the length of each term will be determined by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
“I am humbled and willing to serve a prison sentence for as long as I need,” Franke told the judge, before apologising for “twisting God’s words and distorting his doctrine.”
“I am committed to unlearning my toxic behaviour.”
When Hildebrandt received the same sentence, she said: “I sincerely loved these children. One of the reasons I didn’t go to trial is I didn’t want them to relive this.”
In case you missed it, Ruby Franke — who ran the family blogging channel 8 Passengers — and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested on August 30, 2023, after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s home in Utah and ran to a neighbour’s to ask for food and water.
The child was reportedly emaciated with duct tape around his wrists and ankles. The neighbour called the authorities, who arrested Franke and Hildebrandt. Franke’s 10-year-old daughter was also found inside the home, suffering from neglect and malnourishment.
In December 2023, both women pled guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. During this court appearance, details of the child abuse inflicted on the children emerged. Franke allegedly forced her son to do physical labour outside in the heat for hours on end, forced him to stay outside all day and night, and denied her son food and water.
The Salt Lake Tribune also reported that Franke forced her son’s head underwater and kicked him whilst wearing boots. According to the plea agreement, Franke’s daughter faced similar punishments along with being forced to run on dirt roads barefoot for long periods of time.
While the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine Franke and Hildebrandt’s exact prison time, if the full sentence is served, they will not be released until 2084.
