Ruby Franke, the host of a now-defunct parenting channel on YouTube who pleaded guilty in December to four counts of aggravated child abuse, was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison for each charge. He was sentenced to serve consecutive sentences. on tuesday.
Jody Hildebrandt, who worked with Franke, received the same sentence Tuesday.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine the exact sentence, but no term can exceed 30 years, the maximum consecutive sentence allowed under state law.
Washington County State's Attorney Eric Clark said that between May and August 2023, Franke, a mother of six, was in a “concentration camp” for her two children, who were 9 and 11 years old at the time. He said he created an environment like this. Sentencing hearing. She said she regularly denied them enough food, water, entertainment and beds and isolated them from others.
Franke, 42, forced the children to do manual labor in extreme heat without shoes, socks or water, Clark said. He said they were forced to stand on hot concrete in the summer heat for hours or even days at a time, and were beaten and had their hands and feet regularly tied. added. The injuries were so severe that the children required hospitalization.
“If the older children hadn't had the courage to run away and ask the neighbors to call the police, only God knows how long they could have survived in that situation,” Clark said.
Franke, known for documenting her strict parenting style on social media, was arrested along with Hildebrandt on August 30 last year. Police said at the time that Franke's two children appeared to be malnourished, and one had wounds and duct tape on his ankles and wrists.
Franke was the host of a YouTube channel called 8 Passengers, which has now been removed from the platform. In her videos, she chronicled the lives of her six children and her parenting strategies, which included punishing the children, such as not feeding them. The channel had around 2.5 million subscribers before it was removed.
“For the past four years, I have chosen to follow advice and guidance that has led me into dark delusions,” Franke said during Tuesday's sentencing hearing.
“I believe this world is an evil place full of controlling cops, hospitals that hurt people, government agencies that brainwash people, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who won't protect you, and children who need to be abused. “I was led to believe that,” she added.
She expressed remorse Tuesday and said she takes “full responsibility” for her choices.
