Ruby Franke Takes Full Accountability for Crimes as Children, Estranged Husband Attend Sentencing: Report

YouTube star Ruby Franke was sentenced to prison for child abuse. She apologized to her family and took accountability.

Sean Neumann is a reporter at PEOPLE and has been working there since 2019. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, ESPN, and other publications.

An emotional Ruby Franke apologized to her family and took "full accountability" for her actions that led to her guilty plea and sentencing for aggravated child abuse. Franke, 42, was sentenced to four consecutive 1 to 15-year prison terms on Tuesday, one for each of the four counts of felony aggravated child abuse she pleaded guilty to in December. She and her parenting podcasting partner Jodi Hildebrandt were both arrested last August. Following Franke's sentencing, Hildebrandt received the same sentence. The judge reportedly said the length of each prison sentence will ultimately be decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.

Franke's estranged husband Kevin Franke and their two oldest children, daughter Shari and son Chad, were present for the sentencing. The four youngest Franke children remain in state custody with child protective services.

According to KOMO News, Franke addressed her husband at one point, saying, "You are the love of my life. The ending of our marriage is a tragedy." She added, "My charges are just. They offer safety to my family, accountability to the public."

Franke first gained fame on YouTube after she and her husband began documenting their daily life in 2015, often filming their experience raising six children. However, she received backlash for her abusive parenting style, which included withholding food from their children and taking away their beds as a form of punishment. Franke later shut down her channel and began co-hosting the controversial "Moms of Truth" podcast alongside Jodi Hildebrandt, a former sex therapist.

Both women were arrested last August and charged with felony child abuse after investigators found Franke's two youngest children "emaciated" and malnourished inside Hildebrandt's home with physical wounds on their bodies. The children were taken to the hospital and later removed from Franke and her estranged husband's care.

Several neighbors were "shocked" at Franke's arrest, though her children went from being a daily presence in the neighborhood to becoming "isolated" from their friends. In the aftermath of Franke's arrest, YouTube deleted the family's "8Passengers" channel from its platform and banned its content.

In November, Franke's husband filed for divorce. Kevin often visits his four youngest children, who remain in state custody, and the two older kids are typically a part of those visits. Kevin and the Franke family's four youngest children are all receiving therapy.

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