YouTube Mom Receives Maximum Prison Sentence For Child Abuse

Ruby Franke, the mom behind the once-popular YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” didn’t just get a slap on the wrist. A Utah court sentenced her to the maximum prison term for aggravated child abuse, after she and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, pleaded guilty to multiple counts in December.

What makes this case hit so hard is how it unfolded, and how many people were pulled into it. In August, one of Franke’s children escaped through a window at Hildebrandt’s home and ran to neighbors, leading police to find a 12-year-old boy who was emaciated, injured, and bound with duct tape, plus other children living in similarly brutal conditions.

And once you hear what was said in court, the story stops looking like a “family situation” and starts looking like something much darker.

In a shocking turn of events, former family vlogger Ruby Franke, known for her popular YouTube channel '8 Passengers', has been sentenced to the maximum prison term for child abuse. The verdict was delivered in court on Tuesday, February 20th, alongside her business partner and mental health counselor, Jodi Hildebrandt, aged 54.

Both Franke and Hildebrandt had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December. Their arrests in August of last year came after one of Franke's children bravely alerted neighbors in the city of Ivins, Utah, leading to a swift investigation by authorities.

The whole case kicked off when Franke’s 12-year-old escaped from Hildebrandt’s house and flagged down neighbors in Ivins, Utah.

The harrowing details of the abuse suffered by the 12-year-old boy, who escaped through a window at Jodi Hildebrandt's house and sought help from neighbors, have shocked many. Police found the boy in a distressed state, emaciated, with wounds, and bound with duct tape.

Subsequent investigations into the family home revealed similarly distressing conditions for Franke's other children. In a plea deal, Franke admitted to horrifying acts, including holding her son's head underwater and covering his mouth and nose, as well as physically assaulting him with boots.

Additionally, both Franke and Hildebrandt forced the boy to endure grueling physical labor in extreme heat without proper protection, leading to severe sunburn and dehydration.

After Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, the courtroom details made it impossible to look away.

It also echoes Emily’s feud over “extreme pet care” advice, where she pushed raw diet meals and got shut down.

The court in Utah heard disturbing details of the abuse inflicted by the mother, Ruby Franke, who once had over 2 million subscribers on YouTube. Franke attempted to convince her youngest children that they were "evil and possessed," coercing them to "repent.

In her plea agreement, Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, acknowledged her complicity in the abuse and recounted forcing Franke's youngest daughter to endure painful acts, including jumping into a cactus multiple times and walking barefoot on dirt roads until her feet blistered.

Franke, visibly emotional during her sentencing, tearfully apologized to her six children, acknowledging the irreparable harm she caused. She expressed deep regret for allowing her love for her children to be manipulated into perpetrating such heinous acts, lamenting the loss of their innocence and security.

The judge still had to weigh admissions like holding a child’s head underwater, duct-tape restraints, and forcing grueling labor in extreme heat.

"I was so disoriented that I believed dark was light and right was wrong," Franke continued to say.

"I was led to believe that this world was an evil place, filled with cops who control, hospitals that injure, government agencies that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to protect, and children who need abuse."

Following their guilty pleas, Franke and Hildebrandt were each sentenced to serve four terms of 1 to 15 years behind bars for the second-degree felony aggravated child abuse charges they admitted to. This could result in a maximum sentence of 60 years in prison for both of them.

Even Franke’s courtroom moment, tearfully apologizing to her six children while the abuse accounts kept stacking up, did not change the sentence.

While these sentences are the maximum allowable for each count under Utah law, the parole board will determine the exact duration of their imprisonment at a later date.

Franke's ex-husband, Kevin Franke, has filed for divorce and urged the court to impose the maximum sentence on her. He described her treatment of their children as "horrific and inhumane."

The channel that once promised “family life” ended with a mom facing the maximum prison term.

Ruby Franke got the maximum sentence, but first read how a roommate reacted when you refused her sick puppy adoption plan.