Disturbing new home videos released of blogger mum Ruby Franke as estranged husband speaks out for first time
Convicted former content creator Ruby Franke was sentenced to four counts of one to 15 years in prison for aggravated child abuse.
Franke had started a YouTube channel called 8 Passengers, filming and posting content about her family which accumulated over a billion views.
Her estranged husband, Kevin Franke, recently denied any knowledge of her abuse of their children, admitting that he 'still' loves her.
A Utah law on capping consecutive sentences means Franke will spend a maximum of 30 years behind bars.
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Now, in previously unseen footage, the mother can be seen verbally berating her children.
The clips are part of the trailer for an upcoming Hulu documentary series around the mum's case, titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke.
Premiering on Hulu on 27 February, it 'marks the first time Shari and Chad, the Frankes' two eldest adult children, and Kevin, Ruby's husband, will share their story in depth on camera'.
Hulu adds: "With exclusive access to the Frankes, their friends and neighbors, and over a thousand hours of their YouTube channel's 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."
In an interview with People, Kevin that he was 'not ashamed' to say he still loved his wife, but explained: "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."
The mum was arrested after her 12-year-old son escaped the property, asking a neighbour for water and telling them what was happening.
Police said he had duct tape around his ankles and wrists and was covered in wounds, with another child found in a similar condition.
But now, in previously unseen footage of Franke, she can be seen shouting at her kids.
She can be heard shouting at one of her children in the trailer: "Sit her down right here. Sit her down on the flipping couch!"
In narration for the trailer, Kevin can be heard explaining that his wife, who he is in the process of divorcing, wanted to portray the image of a perfect mother through the channel.
In another clip, Franke could be heard screaming: "I'm still recording!"
She could then be seen holding markers while scowling, in front of the camera.
In a different video, she can be heard instructing one of her sons to 'be excited' about telling viewers where his name came from, 'even if you have to fake it'.
Franke could even be seen grabbing her daughter's face in another clip, but as eldest son Chad revealed on Good Morning America, things became 'chaotic' as they became successful.
"Companies started coming to us, offering big money for scripts," he admitted, adding: "It was a chaotic, chaotic experience, lots of yelling, lots of snapping, and lots of time outs in the corner."
Chad admitted that he had nicer memories growing up, and pinned the turning point on the introduction of mental health counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt, who was also sentenced to four counts of one to 15 years in prison for child abuse.
Kevin told GMA: "The bottom line is that I was choosing to trust a licensed mental health counsellor and my wife, and they gave some terrible counsel.
"I have regrets, and I wish I hadn't done those things."
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: Crime, Ruby Franke, YouTube, US News, Documentaries
Joshua Nair