In a highly strange case a famous YouTuber Ruby Franke who preaches about good and strict parenting tips to the audience, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Utah law board in a child abuse case. The Internet world is in shock after hearing about the crime committed by Franke on her six children.
Her crimes were known to the police when one of her children, a 12-year-old boy who had been staying at Hildebrandt’s house, climbed out of a window, ran into the neighbor’s home, and told that he had been abused by his counselor and mom
Ruby Franke and her counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt both pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse in Washington County 5th district court in Utah in December. The punishments could range from one to 15 years each. According to the prosecutor, both of the women committed a serious crime against the children, and their punishment is decided by the Utah law which must be severe.
Who is Ruby Franke & Jodi Hildebrandt? What Crime They committed against the children?
Ruby Franke is a famous Youtuber Vlogger who rose to fame in 2015 through her famous YouTube channel 8 Passenger, where she gave advice about good parenting. Her channel which ran for approximately 7 years, is now defunct after the charges surfaced on media.
She was living with her six children and her husband Kevin Franke but her husband separated from her and filed for divorce. His lawyer said that his client is now working on taking custody of his children for safety.
She hired Jodi Hildebrandt to counsel her son in 2019 and in 2020. I paid her to be my mentor or guide. According to her statement, she is never been, my business partner.
Her family was also in shock at her treatment of her children they also stated that she was brainwashed by Jodi Hildebrandt. Her brother Beau Griffiths also enrolled in the Hildebrandt’s Connexions program.
Ruby’s sisters Julie Griffith Deru and Bonnie Hoellein who are YouTubers, they also stated that she is away from them and they were not aware of her actions. Her parents Chad and Jennifer Griffiths also claim the same thing and have not been in touch with them for three years
They stated that she “ accused us of either things that never happened or she grossly exaggerated the events that did not happen. She was delusional, She was so deeply brainwashed we could not recognize her.”
What Crime Committed by Both Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt
Jodi Hildebrandt running the Connexions Classroom, is a counsellor for mental and spiritual healing. Ruby Franke hired her in 2019 and 2020 for her son. She badly brainwashes Ruby that she is connected to god and god guides her that her son is possessed by the evil spirit. She began to incorporate strict punishment against her children in the name of God.
Franke’s son was forced to do manual labor tasks for hours and days. He was forced to do labor tasks barefoot outside the house during summer which burned his foot. He was forced to sleep on a sleeping bag for six months not on his bed.
He was denied food and water and if he secretly ate the food he was punished. He was hand cuff which resulted in injuries on his wrists and ankle. His injuries were treated with homeopathy.
Another child was also treated with the same punishment.
What are the Charges Faced By Ruby Franke and Jodi?
Both Jodi and Ruby were arrested on 30 August after Franke’s older son ran from Jodi’s home and went to the neighbor’s house and complained about abuse details. In the court hearing, they both were sentenced to 4 charges of felony with 15 years of prison by Washington County 5th District Court in Utah in December.
Utah Prosecutor Eric Clarke told a reporter that Hildebrandt would serve more time than Franke. According to his own judgment, he said that this is a case of religious extremism and also reported that this is the worst child abuse case he has ever seen in Utah. He further stated if Jodi was released from prison, she would be more harmful to society and would be a follower of superstitious.
Ruby Franke told in her statement “For the past four years, I’ve chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion. My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate myself from anyone who challenged me,” I was led to believe that this world was an evil place filled with cops who control, hospitals that injure, government agencies that brainwash, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who refuse to protect and children who need abuse.”
Ruby takes full responsibility for her actions and getting punishment will rectify her mistake. Now she is taking the right steps.
But Jodi does not feel remorse for her actions as she describes that it is driven by god to lead the children in the right direction. She also said that she loves the children.
Are We Misguided in the Digital Age By These Vloggers and YouTubers –
After seeing the case of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, now we are questioning the authenticity of these vloggers and whatever content they are serving to the audiences. So many fitness vloggers sell the wrong products and diets to their followers which is not only harmful but even leads to the fatal to the audiences. In today’s digital era, many people blindly follow their influencers and take their advice seriously, which takes a bad toll on their personal lives.
After The Parenting Youtuber Vlogger Ruby Franke’s case, many audience eyes opened, even so many of the audiences now becoming more aware of whether they are following the right influencer or not.