YouTube vlogger Ruby Franke and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt found guilty in child abuse case

Ruby Franke, a YouTube vlogger who pleaded guilty to aggravated child abuse of two children, was sentenced Tuesday to four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will decide how long Franke will spend in prison.

Franke and her former business partner, Connections Classroom founder Jody Hildebrandt, pleaded guilty in December to four counts of child abuse in the Fifth District Court of Washington County, Utah.

Hildebrandt was similarly sentenced to four consecutive terms ranging from one to 15 years after Franke.

In their plea agreement, Franke and Hildebrandt admitted that between May and August 2023, another adult caused or caused serious injury to Franke’s children.

Franke tearfully read a statement in court Tuesday before being sentenced.

“For the past four years, I have chosen to follow advice and guidance that has led me into dark delusions. My distorted reality has gone largely unchecked in order to isolate myself from those who would challenge me.” Franke said.

“I believe this world is an evil place full of controlling cops, hospitals that hurt people, government agencies that brainwash people, church leaders who lie and lust, husbands who won’t protect you, and children who need to be abused. “I was led to believe that,” Franke said.

“Jodi Hildebrandt was not my business partner and I was never employed by her. I have never received a salary or connections from her. Jody was hired in 2019 to be my son’s counselor. In 2020 I paid her to be my mentor,” Franke said. “It is important for me to show remorse and remorse without feeling guilty. I take full responsibility for my choices and it is my hope that I will serve time in prison.”

The two women were arrested on August 30 after Franke’s 12-year-old son, who was staying at Hildebrandt’s house, climbed out of a window and ran into a neighbor’s house to say he was being abused.

“I love these children with all my heart and I want them to heal emotionally,” Hildebrandt said in a statement in court. “I didn’t want them to have to emotionally relive what would have been a potentially harmful experience.” . ”

According to the plea agreement, Franke’s son was physically tortured and “forced to perform physical labor for hours or days at a time.” According to the agreement, being forced to work outdoors without shoes in the summer heat and standing in direct sunlight for several days resulted in “skin blistering and peeling and repeated severe sunburns.” “Ta”.

According to the agreement, the children were not given enough water during the days they had to spend in the heat, were punished if they “sneakly drank water,” and were not given enough food.

After attempting to escape, his hands and feet were “regularly bound,” often with two sets of handcuffs on his wrists and ankles, the plea agreement states. He added that ropes were sometimes used to tie the handcuffs. His arms and lower legs were lifted off the ground.

The restraint caused injuries to the child’s wrists and ankles, and the handcuffs cut the skin and damaged muscle and tissue, according to the plea agreement. According to the agreement, the injury was treated with homeopathic remedies and covered with duct tape, after which the child was bound again over the duct tape.

Franke and another adult tried to convince the boy that he was “evil and possessed. To avoid punishment, he needed to be willing to submit. And punishment was necessary for him to repent.” The petition states.

Another child was subjected to similar treatment, forced to work outside in the heat, running barefoot for long hours on dirt roads.

Two other charges against Franke were dismissed, according to the Washington County Attorney’s Office. She agreed to serve her consecutive sentences as part of her plea agreement.

“Ruby Franke wants to take responsibility for the harm she has caused to her children and her entire family. By pleading guilty and accepting punishment, she is taking a step in the right direction of taking responsibility for her actions. She knows she is stepping out,” Franke’s attorney said in a statement to ABC News in December.

This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.