(Image via buzzfeednews.com)
Volunteer Writer: Julia Besse
Email: jbesse1@umassd.edu
Ruby Franke, a former family vlogger who ran the popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison for aggravated child abuse charges.
Franke, mother of six, was arrested in August of 2023 when her twelve-year-old son escaped Franke’s former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt’s home and approached a neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called 9-1-1 because the boy appeared to be emaciated with open wounds and duct tape around his ankles.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse and not guilty to two other counts in December of 2023. On February 20th, 2024, Franke received four sentences of one to fifteen years each, with each sentence to be served consecutively. A consecutive sentence means that one sentence does not begin to run until the expiration of a prior sentence.
The length of time that Franke will serve will ultimately be decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. Though she is facing a maximum of sixty years in prison, Franke will not serve more than thirty years due to Utah Code Section 76-3-401, which ensures that a maximum of all sentences may not exceed thirty years imprisonment.
During her sentencing, Franke addressed Judge John Walton, saying, “For the past four years, I’ve chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion,” referring to her former business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. “My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me.”
Franke went on to address the court, saying:
“It is important to me to demonstrate my remorse and regret without blame. I take full accountability for my choices, and it is my preference that I serve a prison sentence.”
Franke addressed all the officers involved in the case, calling them “the angels who came and saved my children.” Franke then extended special thanks to Detective J. Bate, who “plucked me out of a situation I didn’t know how to get out of. The moment she handcuffed me was the moment I gained my freedom.”
Franke ended her statement with a tearful apology to her children, saying:
“To my babies, my six little chicks, you are a part of me. I believed dark was light and right was wrong. I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft, and safe and good.”
Despite her lengthy prison sentence, family and friends of Franke were relieved. Franke’s eldest son, Chad, was seen smiling as he left court earlier in the week.
Later, in a deleted TikTok video, he was seen smiling and joking about his mom going to prison in a post made by his girlfriend.
After her sentencing, Ruby’s sister, Bonnie Hoellein, shared a video on Instagram showing her bonding with her four children during a getaway. She captioned the video, “A world full of distractions, and I only have eyes for them. Satan himself could not come close to making me harm them,” referring to Ruby’s actions.
Jodi Hildebrandt, Franke’s former business partner, mental health counselor, and owner of the now-deleted YouTube channel ConneXions Classroom, is also facing up to thirty years in prison after pleading guilty to four felony counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse.
Eric Clarke, the Utah prosecutor, says he “hopes Hildebrandt will serve more time than Franke” because Franke understands her wrongdoings and shows deep regret. Hildebrandt has made multiple statements in jail, saying she does not have any remorse. Clark also emphasized Hildebrandt’s ability to gather a significant number of followers and convince them to follow her teachings.
Interested in reading more about Ruby Franke’s arrest? Check out the article Family YouTuber Ruby Franke Arrested for Child Abuse The Torch released a month after Franke’s arrest took place.