For seven years, vlogger Ruby Franke fascinated millions of her subscribers with her large family’s adventures. Her channel attracted millions for being able to manage her large family in a seemingly organized, down-to-earth approach to life. However, her controversial parenting advice often resulted in polarized opinions on the channel.
However, her fall from grace was as swift as her rise. Although she had been out of the spotlight for about a year, Ruby Franke’s arrest and aggravated child abuse charges sent shock waves to everyone who heard it. Franke’s trial ended with her sentencing in early 2024. For more about the vlogger-turned-convict, here are 7 interesting facts about Ruby Franke.
Ruby Franke Was Born And Raised In Utah
Ruby Franke was born Ruby Griffiths in Utah, on January 18, 1982. While much isn’t known of her childhood, Franke was also raised in Utah. However, Franke had three siblings, Bonnie Hoellein, Ellie Mecham, and Julie Griffiths. Following her arrest, it was established she had been estranged from her family for years. According to Franke’s sister Bonnie Hoellein, a family vlogger like her sisters, “We were cut off. We did not have access to anyone.”
Ruby Franke Is A Mother Of Six
Ruby Franke is married to Kevin Franke. The couple reportedly met as students at Utah State University. The couple reportedly married about three months after meeting in late 2000. Their marriage produced six children: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. Longtime followers of her defunct YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, will recognize the family, who never shied away from sharing their controversial parenting advice and family’s daily activities.
Ruby Frankes Is A Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Born and raised as a Mormon, Ruby Franke has considered her faith a central part of her life. Luckily, she fell in love and married Kevin Franke, who also shared the same level of devoutness to the faith. The Frankes were and raised their children as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When the family began their 8 Passengers YouTube channel in 2015, they weren’t “in-your-face” type of believers but laid the foundation for how she and her husband raised their kids. However, by the 2020s, Ruby Franke became more fixated on religion and spiritual beliefs.
She Asked Her Husband To Stay Separated From The Family
For seven years, the Frankes led millions of subscribers to believe they had the perfect family. However, behind the scenes, there were visible cracks in Ruby and Kevin’s relationship. It didn’t help that Ruby Franke had found a new friend, confidant, and business partner in Jodi Hildebrandt. Much of their problems reportedly began after their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, was shut down and deleted by Ruby in 2022.
It wasn’t after Ruby Franke’s arrest that it became public knowledge that the couple were separated. More than that, Ruby had requested Kevin stay separated and cut off communication between her and his children. With no court/legal order to that effect, Kevin stayed away from his family and reportedly hadn’t seen his children for over a year. During his interrogation with police officers, Kevin revealed Ruby asked for the separation because of his “addictions” and needed help from “pornography.” He chose to stay away from the family until he got the help he needed.
Ruby Franke Physically & Mentally Abused Her Children
Although the Frankes initially drew admiration from viewers during the early days of their YouTube channel, it didn’t take long for viewers to see signs of abuse. Although the couple often defended their stance as “being taken out of context,” being physically abusive was something Ruby Franke wasn’t entirely averse to. While there is no evidence that she physically abused her children in the past (especially when her husband was present), she often punished them emotionally and mentally.
However, with advice and collaboration with Jodi Hildebrandt, she began physically abusing her children by withholding food and water from her last two children. Russell and Eve’s physical abuse made headlines and was the reason for her arrest on August 30, 2023. Despite pleading guilty, Ruby Franke still holds the belief that her treatment and punishment for her children was in their best interest.
Her Son’s Escape Led To Her Arrest
From what had become a norm, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt had subjected 12-year-old Russell and 10-year-old Eve to starvation punishments. As documented, Russell climbed down through a window in Jodi Hildebrandt’s house to seek help from neighbors. Although he didn’t immediately get help after knocking on neighbors’ doors, a neighbor, who was reported to have been emotionally heartbroken, helped call the police. Law enforcement officers broke into Jodi Hildebrandt’s to rescue 10-year-old Eve, who was also reportedly malnourished. Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were immediately arrested and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse.
Ruby Franke Was Sentenced To Prison In February 2024
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were held in police custody without bail. The mother of six pleaded not guilty to two other counts but pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. On February 20, 2024, Franke received four consecutive sentences of one and fifteen years imprisonment. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will decide the exact term she will serve. However, Ruby Franke will serve at least four years.
Although the judge passed four consecutive sentences with a maximum jail time of 15 years, the Utah Code dictates no consecutive sentences must exceed 30 years. This means that even if the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole chooses to give Ruby Franke the maximum 15 years of imprisonment because she’s serving consecutive sentences, Ruby Franke’s maximum jail time is 30 years. Ruby Franke chose to serve her prison sentences consecutively rather than concurrently. If you enjoyed reading these interesting facts about Ruby Franke, read about The Unveiled Truth of What Happened to Jeffrey Dahmer.
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