The story of Ruby Franke, her family vlogging channel "8 Passengers," and the subsequent child abuse scandal has captivated and horrified audiences worldwide. This article delves into the details of the case, focusing on the involvement of her children, including Chad Franke, and the events that led to her conviction and imprisonment.
Ruby Franke (née Griffiths), born on January 18, 1982, was once a popular family vlogger who ran the now-defunct YouTube channel "8 Passengers." The channel documented the day-to-day life of the Franke family, amassing 2.5 million subscribers and 1 billion total views. The kids ranged in age from about 1 to 11 when Ruby started creating the candid vlog - short for video blog - style videos, making her an early pioneer of the “mommy vlogger” trend.
However, beneath the surface of seemingly wholesome family activities, a darker reality was unfolding. In 2020, fans started questioning the disciplinary measures Ruby would casually mention in her “8 Passengers” videos. The vlogs eventually inspired petitions to get the family investigated for child abuse.
On August 30, 2023, Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in Washington County, Utah, and charged with six counts of felony aggravated child abuse of two of Franke's children.
The Arrest and Charges
Police entered the Franke family home in September of 2023 after a neighbor called 911. Things came to a head in September 2023, when Shari’s then-12-year-old brother Russell escaped and asked a neighbor for food. Shari’s sister, Eve, then just 10-years-old, was found to be malnourished. The factual basis mentioned an incident of Franke forcing her son to work outdoors over several weeks with inadequate protection, resulting in severe sunburns, and claims that the children were possessed.
Read also: Life After the Ruby Franke Case
Ruby Franke ultimately pled guilty to multiple counts of aggravated child abuse. She later pleaded not guilty to two other counts. On December 18, 2023, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
The Role of Jodi Hildebrandt
Shortly after Ruby discontinued the 8 Passengers channel in 2022 and separated from Kevin, she began collaborating with Jodi Hildebrandt and her coaching service, ConneXions. A therapist who specialized in porn and sex addiction, Hildebrant started ConneXions in 2007 to provide counseling on relationships and parenting. She later claimed she wasn’t a business partner and never received wages from Hildebrandt or the company.
Ruby had also sought Hildebrandt’s guidance for her own family. The mother said Hildebrandt counseled one of her sons in 2019 and that she began employing Hildebrandt as a personal mentor the following year. Ultimately, she said Hildebrandt’s counseling led her to embrace a “distorted version of reality.”
“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,” she said in court prior to her sentencing.
On December 27, Hildebrandt separately pleaded guilty to four counts of felony aggravated child abuse, with two charges dropped as part of another plea deal.
Read also: Aftermath of 8 Passengers
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt
The Franke Children
Ruby Franke employed training techniques from West Point Military Academy with her six children. When one of her brothers, Chad, then about 9-years-old, didn’t put away his laundry, all of the children were made to run around the block five times. “Ruby’s hand would often find its way to my face, a sharp sting of displeasure delivered with precision,” Shari writes.
The second oldest child in the family, Chad, 19, is currently going to real estate school, according to his Instagram. In Devil in the Family, we also see Chad balking at being filmed. Shari would say things like “pretend like you’re happy” or “act like you’re happy,” Chad tells Vanity Fair. “When my mom turned on the camera, there was a large difference between her just telling me to be myself, and then, you know, when we were doing a brand deal or working with a company-then I was to say exactly what the company would ask me to say.”
Four of Franke’s children were placed in state custody. Shari’s sister, Eve, then just 10-years-old, was found to be malnourished. Kevin Franke filed for divorce from Ruby Franke in November of 2023.
Shari Franke, 21, penned a memoir about growing up as the daughter of an abusive mommy vlogger. According to daughter Shari Franke’s book, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, which was published last month, Kevin-a Brigham Young University professor and the youngest of seven children-was “the perpetual supporting actor to Ruby’s lead role in her epic production of ‘Ultimate Mother.’”
Read also: The Life of Chad Everett Harris
On Instagram last week, she announced that, with her memoir’s publication and her upcoming nuptials, she would be pulling back from social media. “This is the end of me sharing my private life,” she wrote on the platform with a picture of her engagement ring. “I’ve had my voice and agency taken for so long … I’m not going to talk about my wedding, future husband, or future kids… This is closure for me.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
On February 20, 2024, Franke received four consecutive sentences of between one and fifteen years' imprisonment, meaning she must serve a minimum term of four years. Although the maximum term that could be imposed for all sentences would be 60 years, the Utah Code dictates that the time served by a defendant upon whom consecutive sentences are imposed must not exceed 30 years, except in circumstances of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Franke agreed to serve a prison sentence and to serve her respective sentences consecutively rather than concurrently.
Hildebrandt received the same four consecutive terms for her guilty plea, while Kevin, who filed for divorce from Ruby in November 2023, wasn’t charged with any crimes in connection to the case.
On January 22, 2025, former Connexions Classroom client's husband Michael Tilleman filed a lawsuit in federal court against Hildebrandt and Franke for business fraud and promoting a "methodology that encouraged child abuse among their clients".
Here's a summary of the key figures and their sentences:
| Person | Role | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby Franke | Former YouTube Vlogger | 4 consecutive terms of 1 to 15 years in prison |
| Jodi Hildebrandt | Business Partner and Counselor | 4 consecutive terms of 1 to 15 years in prison |
| Kevin Franke | Husband of Ruby Franke | Not charged with any crimes |
Media Coverage and Aftermath
The story of Ruby and her family became the subject of the 2024 made-for-TV movie Mormon Mom Gone Wrong: The Ruby Franke Story, which aired on Lifetime and is now available to rent or own on Prime Video and Apple TV. The dramatized account stars Emilie Ullerup as Franke and Heather Locklear as Hildebrandt.
A three-part Hulu docuseries, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, released in February 2025 and features interviews with Kevin, as well as Shari and Ruby’s son Chad.
This Family Vlogger Is Disgusting... | Ruby Franke Update
The August 2023 arrest of Ruby Franke uncovered the horrifying extent of her abusive behavior. on Investigation Discovery. According to a news release, the four-part project “charts the magnetic connection” between Franke and Hildebrandt, which ultimately turned criminal.
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