YouTuber mum Ruby Franke's ex-husband speaks out for first time since she was sentenced to up to 60 years in prison
Ruby Franke's ex-husband said he was kept in the dark when his wife and business partner physically and mentally abused his two children.
The former YouTuber, 43, and family therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, 55, were arrested at Hildebrandt’s house in Utah in August 2023.
Franke's 12-year-old son escaped the property and informed a neighbour of what had been going on.
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The child had duct tape around his ankles and wrists, and was covered in several wounds. Another child was later found in a similar condition.
Later that year, the pair - who accumulated over one billion views on controversial YouTube channel 8 Passengers - were convicted after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse.
Franke was given four counts of one to 15 years in prison. But she will only serve a maximum of 30 years due to an Utah law on capping consecutive sentences.
Kevin Franke, who fell in love with Ruby as soon as he met her in 2000, wasn't aware that she would later go on to abuse two of their six children.
"I'm not ashamed to say that after being married over 20 years to that woman, I truly did and still do love her," the 46-year-old told People.
"But that doesn't excuse what she did, and it doesn't excuse how she hurt our children and how she hurt me.
"There's some bridges that you just can't cross and then cross back. She burned the bridges, and so I'm moving on.
"And I'm going to do what's best for my children, for my family, and for myself, and that's not going to include her."
Kevin said he is currently in the process of divorcing Ruby and that the pair are 'close' to a settlement.
"The last letter that I received from her from prison was maybe in March or April of last year," he added.
"And then I requested the Department of Corrections to ask her to stop writing me.
"I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't like what she was saying."
The father-of-six, who works as an engineering consultant, said he was 'not going to share' what was in the letters.
For the first time, Kevin and his oldest son Chad, 20, are speaking about what happened in Hulu’s three-part docuseries, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, which will be available to stream on Hulu from 27 February.
Full timeline of the Ruby Franke case
Starting a YouTube channel and initial suspicions
Franke started her parenting YouTube channel 8 Passengers with now ex-husband Kevin, amassing over 2.5 million subscribers before it was deleted in 2023 following the arrest.
Several subscribers became suspicious of child abuse, with a petition being signed for the police to investigate the family, citing the numerous questionable videos uploaded.
Franke joins ConneXions with Jodi Hildebrandt
The mum told critics in a 2021 interview for The Wrap that she was showing everyone 'what a responsible mother looks like'.
She stopped uploading videos to the channel in 2022, joining Mormon therapist Hildebrandt's ConneXions podcast.
Their divisive opinions on subjects such as eating disorders, blaming rape victims, and criticising immigrants drew the wrong kind of attention.
Franke and Hildebrandt's arrest
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on child abuse charges in August 2023.
The Santa Clara Public Safety Department were called to the Ivins neighbourhood in Utah after a neighbour was alerted by Franke's 'emaciated' 12-year-old son, who escaped to knock on their door to ask for help.
He had visible marks and wounds from duct tape put around his ankles, and asked for some food and water.
Police found his 10-year-old sister in a 'similar physical condition of malnourishment' in Hildebrandt's house.
Family members speak out
Franke's oldest daughter, Shari, wrote on Instagram on the day of the arrests: “Today has been a big day."
She continued: "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."
In November, Kevin also officially filed for divorce from Franke, and called her actions to their children 'horrific and inhumane'.
Franke and Hildebrandt are charged with six counts of child abuse
Just one week after their arrests, the pair were charged with six counts of felony child abuse.
YouTube banned Franke, deleting both 8 Passengers and ConneXions channels and blocking her from the social media platform.
Franke blames the abuse on Hildebrandt
Her attorneys released a statement that said: “Initially, Ms. Franke believed that Jodi Hildebrandt had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement. Ms. Hildebrandt took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous," according to Fox13.
It blamed Hildebrandt solely for isolating Franke from her family completely, distorting her morality.
Franke pleads guilty
Just three days after the statement was released, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. A court had heard how she had tried to convince her youngest children they were 'evil and possessed'.
Franke and Hildebrandt are sentenced to prison for child abuse
On 20 February 2024, Franke and Hildebrandt were convicted and given four separate prison sentences for one to 15 years, with the length of each sentence decided by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
During sentencing Franke apologised to her children and said she would 'never stop crying for hurting their tender souls'.
She said: "My willingness to sacrifice all for you was masterfully manipulated into something very ugly.
"I took from you all that was soft and safe and good."
The two women will not serve more than 30 years in a Federal Penitentiary because of a Utah law about consecutive sentences.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Ruby Franke, US News, Crime
Anish Vij