YouTube mom Ruby Franke sentenced up to 30 years in prison for aggravated child abuse

Ruby Franke, known for her YouTube family channel ‘8 Passengers,’ has been sentenced up to 30 years in prison for aggravated child abuse after two of her children were found “malnourished” with “open wounds.”

YouTube mom Ruby Franke has now learned her sentence after pleading guilty to four felony counts of aggravated child abuse in December 2023.

Franke was arrested on suspicion of these charges in August of that same year after her 12-year-old son escaped from a home belonging to one Jodi Hildebrandt, who ran a family counseling service named ‘ConneXions’ alongside Franke.

Franke’s son was found in a shocking state, with reports stating the child was “malnourished” with “open wounds” and duct tape covering his extremities. Her 10-year-old daughter was discovered in a similar condition in Hildebrandt’s home.

Now, Franke and Hildebrandt are facing time in prison, learning their sentence on February 20, 2024.

8 Passengers’ Ruby Franke sentenced up to 30 years for child abuse

Fifth District Judge John Walton sentenced both women to four terms of one to 15 years in jail — meaning each woman would spend up to 60 years in prison. However, neither will serve longer than 30 years due to a Utah law that prevents consecutive sentences above that amount.

Franke apologized during her sentencing in a tearful message to the court.

“I am humbled and willing to serve a prison sentence for as long as I need,” Franke said. “I am committed to unlearning my toxic behavior.”

That’s not all; Franke went on to claim that her “charges are just” and expressed remorse for “twisting God’s words and distorting His doctrine.”

Franke was best known for her family YouTube channel titled ‘8 Passengers,’ which followed the lives of her six children and her husband, Kevin Franke.

The channel came under scrutiny in 2020 after viewers claimed the family’s punishments were too severe — such as “taking away” her son’s bedroom for six months and forcing him to sleep on a beanbag for pranking his little brother.