Utah family vlogger Ruby Franke has officially been sentenced to up to 60 years in prison for the abuse of her children.
Franke, who ran the since-deleted YouTube channel 8 Passengers, pled guilty to four counts of child abuse in 2023.
She was sentenced to a total of between four and 60 years in prison for the four counts on Tuesday (Feb. 20).
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine how much of her sentence she ultimately serves based on behavior and rehabilitation. The maximum sentence under Utah’s state guidelines is 60 years.
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Franke was arrested after her youngest son escaped the home Franke was confining him in with Connexions “cult” leader Jodi Hildebrandt, who received the same sentence as Franke.
According to the Today, Franke was emotional in court as she wept while giving her statement to the judge. She addressed her husband, Kevin, and her children in the statement. Two of her older children, as well as Kevin, were present in the courtroom.
“I’m sorry to leave you [Kevin] to finish what we both started together. The ending of our marriage is a tragedy and you were wrapped around my heart. To my babies, my six little chicks. You are part of me. I can see now that over the past four years, I was in a deep undercurrent that led us to danger. I would never have led you to darkness knowingly … I was led to believe that this world is an evil place,” she said, per the Daily Mail.
“I took from you all that was soft and safe and good. I took from you your mother. How terrifying this must have been for you … You are so precious to me … I’m sorry,” she added.
She also told the judge, “I am humbled and willing to serve a prison sentence … I understand this is going to take time.”
Chief Deputy Washington County Attorney Ryan Shaum told the court in a written statement that the charges of child abuse against Franke and Hildebrandt are “some of the worst” he’s seen in his 30 years of experience.
County prosecutor Eric Clarke called the kids’ environment a “concentration camp-like setting” and noted that they were denied “food, water, [and] beds,” as well as experiencing horrific physical abuse at the hands of their mother and Hildebrandt.
Franke’s plea agreement also revealed that she brainwashed the children into believing they were “evil and possessed.”
