Ruby Franke’s estranged husband has publicly called for a Utah judge to put her and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt in jail, as the pair face 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts each of child abuse.
Franke, 42 ran a YouTube channel named U Passengers alongside Hildebrandt, 54, for several years.
The whistle was blown on their abuse when one of Ruby’s children escaped from a home owned by Hildebrandt and went to a neighbor to ask for food and water with duct tape around his ankle and wrists.
The pair pleaded guilty in late December and with sentencing set for Tuesday, husband Kevin – who has previously demanded Hildebrandt pay for their children’s medical treatment – is calling for them to see jail time.
‘We trust the judge to sentence them both to 1-15 years for each of the four counts, to run consecutively, and then let the Utah State Board of Pardons decide if that should be shortened or other conditions imposed,’ his attorney said in a statement.
Ruby Franke, 42 (pictured left) ran a YouTube channel named U Passengers alongside Hildebrandt (pictured right), 54, for several years
Ruby Franke’s estranged husband Kevin (pictured) has publicly called for a Utah judge to put her and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt in jail, as the pair face 60 years in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse
‘The treatment these children received at the hands of those whom the children had a right to trust, was horrific and inhumane, both physically and psychologically,’ the lawyer added to Law & Crime.
‘Kevin remains focused on the rehabilitation of these sweet and vulnerable children so that they might return to a normal life as soon as possible.’
Franke’s husband has filed for divorce.
Both Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony.
The pair each face anywhere from four to 60 years in prison – one to 15 per count – but the max either one will spend in prison is 30, according to Law & Crime.
The charges could also be probation eligible and there’s also a chance a board of appeals prevents them from seeing prison time.
The sentencing day could feature statements from both Franke and Hildebrandt, as well as attorneys and any victims who wish to give impact statements.
Judge John J. Walton scheduled sentencing for Tuesday after accepting the plea agreement, which described new details of the abuse the children endured, including the claims that they were possessed.
The pair pleaded guilty on December 27 and with sentencing set for Tuesday, husband Kevin – who has previously demanded Hildebrandt pay for their children’s medical treatment – is calling for a lengthy sentence
Both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony
Ruby’s family previously told DailyMail.com that she should be ‘put away forever’ if she’s convicted of the abuse
As part of the deal, Ruby agreed to serve a prison term and the sentences will run consecutively. Sentencing is up to the judge.
Ruby pleaded not guilty to two other counts, court records said, and was returned to custody after the hearing.
Winward Law said in a statement following the pleas saying that the abuse occurred while Franke was influenced by a relationship counselor who led her to ‘a distorted sense of morality.’
‘Ruby Franke is a devoted mother and is also a woman committed to constant improvement,’ Winward Law said in a statement.
Ruby initially believed that her co-defendant Hildebrandt ‘had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement,’ but said that Hildebrandt ‘took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous.’
In the plea agreement, Ruby admits that she tortured her son from May 22 through August 30 by forcing him into hours of physical tasks, summer work outdoors without adequate water and ‘repeated and serious sunburns’ that blistered.
He was denied food or given very plain meals, and he was isolated from other people without access to books, notebooks or electronics.
After he tried to run away in July, his hands and feet were regularly bound, sometimes with handcuffs.
Franke, pictured with her four daughters, pleaded not guilty to two other counts, court records said, and was returned to custody after the hearing
Franke is pictured during a court appearance in Utah December 18
Franke had attempted to divert most of the blame to her business partner and self-professed life coach Hildebrandt – who had tears in her eyes in court Wednesday when a judge read the charges against her
At times, ropes were used to tie together handcuffs that secured his hands and feet as he lay on his stomach, lifting his arms and legs off the ground and injuring his wrists and ankles, the plea agreement said.
Ruby also admitted to kicking her son while wearing boots, holding his head under water and smothering his mouth and nose with her hands, according to the plea agreement.
‘He was also told that everything that was being done to him were acts of love,’ the agreement states.
Ruby acknowledged similarly abusing her 9-year-old daughter by forcing her to work outside, run on dirt roads barefoot, and go without food and water.
‘She was also repeatedly told she was evil and possessed, the punishments were necessary for her to be obedient and repent, and these things were being done to her in order to help her,’ the plea agreement said.
The girl ‘was convinced’ what her mother said was true, the agreement said.
Ruby and Hildebrandt were arrested on August 30 after Ruby’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s house in the southern Utah city of Ivins and asked a neighbor to call police, according to the 911 call released by the St. George Police Department.
The boy was emaciated and had duct tape around his ankles and wrists but wouldn’t say why, the caller reported.
The popular YouTuber was arrested along with her business partner Hildebrandt last month and charged with six counts of felony child abuse after one of her sons was discovered with open wounds and duct tape on their limbs
Jodi Hildebrandt pictured in court in December 2023. She had formerly been a mental health counselor in Utah
Hildenbrant’s agreement with prosecutors Wednesday was similar to her old partners, with both women having two charges against them dropped after pleading guilty to four
‘I think he’s been … he’s been detained,’ the caller said, his voice breaking up. ‘He’s obviously covered in wounds.’
The boy and Ruby’s daughter, who was also found at Hildebrandt’s house, were taken to the hospital. Eventually, Franke’s four youngest children were taken into state custody.
Ruby and Hildebrandt were each charged with six felony counts of aggravated child abuse. They have remained jailed since their arrests.
During Ruby’s incarceration, ‘she has actively engaged in an introspection that has allowed her to reset her moral compass and understand the full weight of her actions. Ms. Franke is committed to taking responsibility for the part she played in the events leading up to her incarceration,’ the statement said.
The boy told investigators that ‘Jodi’ put the ropes on his ankles and wrists and that they used cayenne pepper and honey to dress the wounds caused by the ropes, according to a search warrant.
Hildebrandt has agreed not to see patients until the allegations are addressed by state licensing officials.
The Franke family was criticized online for its ‘8 Passengers’ video blog showing parenting decisions including banning their oldest son from his bedroom for seven months for pranking his younger brother.
Fifth District Judge John Walton read out the charges against Hildebrandt as part of her plea agreement
A tearful Hildebrandt, meanwhile, sat silent and simply replied ‘guilty’ to each of the counts that the judge read, in a hearing that lasted less than five minutes. She is seen being led back to her incarceration in St. George immediately after
The couple’s Springville, Utah home was the site of years of child abuse, prosecutors have proven. The full extent of abuse has yet to be specified
In other videos, Ruby Franke talked about refusing to take lunch to a kindergartener who forgot it at home and threatening to cut the head off a young girl’s stuffed toy to punish her for cutting things in the house.
In one video, Ruby said she and her husband told their two youngest children that they would not be getting presents from Santa Claus one year because they had been selfish and weren’t responding to punishment like being kept home from school and cleaning the floorboards.
The YouTube channel, which started in 2015, ended after seven years.
In court documents filed in January, Kevin Franke demanded that Hildebrandt pay for their children’s recovery, in part from the proceeds of a $5.1 million home that she listed for sale earlier this month.
‘The children remain in professional care for the aggravated psychological and emotional injuries suffered. It is clear and admitted that the children suffered immediate and continuing irreparable harm as a result of the crimes perpetrated upon them by this Defendant,’ one section of the documents read.
‘This would be a completely inequitable result; that the victims and victims’ family would have to pay for their own treatment for injuries caused by [Hildebrandt],’ one section of the documents read.
Utah has a Child Victims Restitution Act entitling victims to be compensated for treatment in the wake of abuse.
At the full conclusion of the case, Kevin will be left to pay for his children’s care.
The family blew up on social media after beginning to post videos in 2015, though Franke’s tough parenting style often drew criticism
The Franke family was criticized online for its ‘8 Passengers’ video blog showing parenting decisions including banning their oldest son from his bedroom for seven months for pranking his younger brother
In court documents filed in January, Kevin Franke demanded that Hildebrandt (pictured) pay for their children’s recovery, in part from the proceeds of a $5.1 million home that she listed for sale earlier this month
On January 4, Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah, was placed on the market for sale. This home is one of the places where the abuse occurred, Kevin’s attorneys state in the documents.
According to Realtor.com, the home is a four-bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house located in the desert, 300 miles south of Salt Lake City, just north of Las Vegas.
The article describes it as ‘brutalist in style and somewhat foreboding to the eye.’ It’s spread across 9,000 square feet and is a ‘solid fortress.’
It features a pool, spa, outdoor kitchen as well as a home movie theater in the basement.
The documents request that the court order Hildebrandt to not sell the home until after her sentencing.