Ruby Franke’s Prison Sentence: How Long Will She Be in Jail?
This post contains disturbing discussions of child abuse.
Former family vlogger Ruby Franke is currently serving time behind bars after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December 2023. She received her sentence two months later in February 2024, and now the full story is coming to the small screen in Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.
Before the three-part docuseries premieres on February 27, here’s a look at what you need to know about the subject of Hulu’s latest true-crime feature.
What was Ruby Franke convicted of?
Franke was arrested in August 2023 after one of her six children escaped the home of Franke’s friend, Jodi Hildebrant, and sought help from a neighbor, who called 9-1-1. The then 12-year-old’s condition, along with that of his 9-year-old sister, was described as “emaciated and malnourished.”
Franke was charged with six counts of felony child abuse when she was arrested, but two of the charges were dropped as part of her plea deal.
What was Ruby Franke’s sentence?
The former YouTube star received four separate prison sentences for 1 to 15 years, which will run consecutively. While this would mean a 60-year maximum sentence, the most severe penalty under Utah law is 30 years, so Franke won’t serve more than 30 years total.
The exact length of her sentence will be determined by the Board of Pardons and Parole. The board will reportedly make their decision in December 2026 when Franke appears before them, according to KSL.
When Franke was arrested, she was held without bail due to the “severity of injuries” on her children, so she has been behind bars since August 2023.
What did Ruby Franke do?
Franke documented her Mormon family’s life on her 8 Passengers YouTube channel, which has since been deleted. After gaining popularity, she eventually began facing backlash when her extreme punishment methods for the children were exposed. Franke would allegedly deprive her kids of necessities for months at a time as a form of punishment. For example, her oldest son had to sleep on a bean bag in the basement of the family’s home for seven months after he started acting out.
Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services investigated the Franke’s after online commenters became concerned about the mom of six’s strict parenting style. However, the case was dropped due to lack of evidence, according to Business Insider.
Franke developed a close relationship with controversial therapist Hildebrant, eventually moving into Hildebrant’s home with her four youngest children following her separation from husband Kevin Franke, which she initiated at Hildebrant’s suggestion.
While residing at Hildebrant’s home, the abuse took an extreme turn. Police discovered that the children were not only malnourished, but had been bound with ropes, chains, and handcuffs. Before Franke pled guilty, her legal team placed the blame on Hildebrant’s influence.
What happened to Jodi Hildebrant?
Like Franke, Hildebrant was also charged with child abuse and received four separate prison sentences for 1 to 15 years. Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole will determine how much of the sentence Hildebrant serves, with the maximum being 30 years under Utah law.
When does the Ruby Franke Hulu series premiere?
A three-part docuseries about Franke called Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke will begin streaming on Hulu on Thursday, February 27. It will feature interviews with Franke’s estranged husband, Kevin, and two oldest children, Shari Franke and Chad Franke. This is the first time they will be sharing their story in-depth on camera.
The logline for the series reads, “With exclusive access to the Frankes, their friends and neighbors, and over a thousand hours of their YouTube channels’ unseen footage, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke cuts through the social media reaction to explore the untold story behind the Ruby Franke case: part family tragedy, part coming of-age narrative, part tale of our times about the perils of life lived online.”
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, Streaming, Thursday, February 27, Hulu
If you or someone you know is the victim of child abuse, contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
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O
She should be getting more than 30 years. 50 at LEAST. By then all of the kids will be well into adulthood and able to stay far away from that monster.
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O
Where was the father in all of this? When she started abusing their children while still at home with him why didn't HE go to the authorities? They are all to blame, all three of them. Disgusting.
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O
They should serve as much time as those children will need to try to heal- their lives!. That husband is probably still looking for his spine.
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O
I find it hard to believe how meek the father was. You have this monster moving in and taking over (Jodi Hildebrand) and he just goes along with it all to appease his spiraling out of control wife. Good thing he doesn’t have the curiosity god gave a sack of potatoes or he might have taken a minute to look into hildebrand’s past. This whole thing is just terrible and incredible how millions of people saw these changes in Ruby yet it took a starving malnourished little boy begging for help to get anything done. Everyone failed that boy and her kids in general.
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R
The father went along with way too much - and finally she made him leave, and she would not allow him to see the kids.
I don't believe he was aware of how far it had gone, that she and Hildebrand were actually torturing the kids.
He divorced her.
Ruby was a weak minded woman who threw her life away.
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O
To TORTURE innocent children the clean them up to film them for profit is despicable. 30 years for either that horrible Mom or her 'friend". Is not nearly enough. That wimpy Dad somehow got off Scott free.
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G
The both should get life . The both new what the where doing .
Shame on them .
There both a monster. I fill so bad for those kids
God going to punish them when it is there time .
How sad. Ruby can kiss u tube good bye they won't let Ruby on u tube becuse of her record.
And they won't let Jodie back Iin Connections. She can kiss that good bye . You guys call your self moms . Moms dont do that to there kids . Kids are a gift from god .
You both are a monster and a devil.
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O
he should absolutely be charged with neglect
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T
Excellent comment and very on spot. If it doesn't feel right in your gut, then it usually is not right. NO harm should be put upon your children, regardless of anything, anyone. Parents' #1 rule is to protect your kids from ALL, even if it includes their own mother (or father). Heartbreaking to watch the ring camera video of the little boy at the neighbor's house asking for help. The elderly homeowner breaking down while talking to law enforcement hit home how horrific the circumstances were.😪