A judge this week will decide the fate of a disgraced Utah mommy blogger and mother of six, Ruby Franke, whose abusive parenting — documented and widely broadcast on her own social media platforms — garnered national attention and outrage.

Franke, a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, documented her family’s life in Utah on her now-deleted 8 Passengers YouTube channel, which at one point had 2.5 million subscribers. The account started facing criticism in 2020, including an online petition that said Franke’s videos showed signs of abuse and neglect and calling on state child protection authorities to investigate. 

Franke — who in Decemeber pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse — was arrested on August 30, 2023, after one of her children escaped and a neighbor called the police for help, and child protective services took four of the children. Clips from her account that have since gone viral include direct threats to her children, as Franke broadcast statements including “you’re going to lose the privilege to eat dinner,” and “you took your lashing very well.” 

In one widely-watched clip, Franke said that she was refusing to bring her 5-year old lunch at school — saying that it was her child’s responsibility to pack lunch — despite the schoolteacher being “uncomfortable” with it. 

“Hopefully nobody gives her food and nobody steps in and gives her lunch, because then she’s not going to learn from the natural outcome,” Franke said. “My hope is that she’ll be hungry and come home and go ‘oh man that was really painful being hungry all day, I will make sure to always have a lunch with me.’” 

Her husband, Kevin Franke, filed for divorce in November and has not been charged in the abuse.

Franke was arrested at the home of her business partner and mental health counselor, Jodi Hildebrandt, who was also arrested and charged with six counts of child abuse.  The two had hared an Instagram account called “Moms of Truth,” in which they recorded and posted parenting and lifestyle advice. 

A Fifth Circuit Court judge, John Walton, scheduled the sentencing for both Franke and Hildebrandt on February 20. 

Franke’s plea agreement included details about her abuse, including physical torture of her now 12-year-old son, including being forced to remain in direct sunlight for extended periods of time and being denied adequate water, resulting in serious blisters and sunburns. After he tried to run away, “his hands and feet were regularly bound,” the plea agreement reads, including being tied to Franke, to sets of weights, and being handcuffed on the wrists and ankles. Franke also kicked him while wearing boots, held him underwater, and cut off his oxygen by placing her hands over his nose and mouth, the plea agreement notes. 

Both her 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter were told they were “evil and possessed” and that the punishments were necessary for them to “repent.” 

Each of the four charges carries maximum penalties of 15 years in the Utah State Prison and a fine of $10,000. The Washington County District Attorney, Eric Clarke, said his office will release a statement following the sentencing. In December, he said his office was “pleased that Ms. Franke has accepted responsibility for her criminal actions and that justice is being served to the extent possible in this type of situation.” 

Franke’s lawyer, Lamar Winward, did not immediately return the Sun’s request for comment. His firm, Winward Law, released a statement on behalf of Franke in December, in which she blamed her business partner Hildebrant for the abuse, as reported by CBS’ Salt Lake City affiliate, KUTV. The statement described Franke as a “devoted mother” and a “woman committed to constant improvement,” believing that Hildebrant would help her improve. 

“Ms. Hildebrant took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous,” the statement said. “Over an extended period, Ms. Hildebrant systematically isolated Ruby Franke from her extended family, older children, & her husband, Kevin Franke.”

The “prolonged isolation,” according to the statement, resulted in Franke’s morality being “distorted” by Hildebrandt’s influence.