Ruby Franke, the Utah mother behind the parenting YouTube channel 8 Passengers, has been sentenced to at least four years in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse. The 42-year-old appeared in court alongside her former business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, who received an identical sentence. Both were handed four consecutive terms of one to 15 years each, the maximum under Utah law, with their actual release dates to be determined by the state parole board.
Prosecutor Eric Clarke described the conditions endured by Franke's children, aged nine and 11 at the time, as akin to a 'concentration camp-like setting'. He stated that the children were regularly denied food, water, beds, and virtually all forms of entertainment. Franke tearfully apologised in court, saying she was 'so disoriented that I believed dark was light and right was wrong'.
The arrests occurred in August 2023 after Franke's 12-year-old son, malnourished and with rope lacerations, escaped from Hildebrandt's home and sought help from a neighbour. This ended Franke's controversial YouTube career, which began in 2015 and amassed over two million subscribers. Her channel, 8 Passengers, initially depicted a typical Mormon family life but drew scrutiny after fans noticed abusive practices, including withholding food and forcing a child to sleep on a bean bag for seven months.
Despite a petition and child protection agency involvement in 2020, no legal action was taken at the time. Franke later partnered with Hildebrandt on her ConneXions Classroom channel. Police records revealed severe abuse away from the camera, including tying children up, beating them, and forcing them to work outdoors without sunscreen. Hildebrandt admitted to torturing the children or being aware of the abuse, including forcing one of Franke's daughters to jump into a cactus repeatedly.
Franke's ex-husband, Kevin Franke, called the abuse 'horrific and inhumane' and requested the maximum sentence. The judge's ruling ensures both women will serve time for their crimes, with the parole board deciding their ultimate release.
