Ruby Franke apologizes to 'six little chicks' before being sentenced for child abuse

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by Eileen Reslen

Convicted child abuser Ruby Franke tearfully sentenced her six children before a judge sentenced her to up to 60 years in prison.

“To my babies, my six little chicks. You are a part of me,” the disgraced “8 Passengers” YouTuber, 42, wrote, according to Today. said Tuesday in a Utah courtroom.

“I was the mama duck who was always waddling you to safety. I now see that for the past four years, I had been falling into a deep undercurrent that was leading us into danger.”

Franke, who was arrested in August 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse, said in an emotional speech that he was “very confused” when he committed the crime and that “darkness is light and right is right.” He claimed that he believed it was wrong.

“I would do anything in this world for you,” she added. “My willingness to sacrifice everything for you was masterfully manipulated…I robbed you of everything that was soft, safe, and good.

“I took your mother away from you. How horrible this must have been for you. I will never stop crying for hurting your kind soul. You are so dear to me. He's an important person. I'm sorry.”

Prosecutor Eric Clark criticized Franke and her co-conspirator Jody Hildebrandt in court, saying neither should blame religion for their inappropriate behavior.

“I think a minimum sentence of four years in prison for Ruby's actions is entirely appropriate,” the lawyer said outside court Tuesday, according to Today.

“I hope Jody serves more time than that, and I hope she doesn't come out of prison until everyone is completely convinced that she's no longer a danger. And we get there. She will have to admit that she did something wrong and that she should not use religion as a means to justify her insane actions.”

A judge on Tuesday sentenced Mr. Franke and Mr. Hildebrandt to four prison sentences totaling one to 15 years to be served consecutively.

However, according to Utah law, if consecutive sentences are handed down, the terms of imprisonment cannot exceed 30 years.

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately decide the former business partner's exact prison sentence, and Franke and Hildebrandt will have 30 days to appeal the decision.

The mother of six told the court after the verdict was read. I am committed to forgetting my harmful behavior. ”

The charges against Franke and Hildebrandt were discovered after a concerned neighbor called 911 after one of their children ran away from the house with duct tape wrapped around his arms and legs.

“A 12-year-old boy just came to my door asking for help. He said he just came from a neighbor's house. He knows there's a problem going on at this neighbor's house.” said the man in an emergency situation. It was sent in audio previously obtained by Fox News.

“He's emaciated. He has tape on his legs. He's hungry and thirsty. … I don't think he needs an ambulance. I'll let the police decide on that. But his ankles are taped and the police won't tell us why. … He has sores all around him.”

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The two women pleaded guilty in December 2023, with Franke admitting at the time that she tortured the children, including holding their heads underwater and starving them.

The children's father, Kevin Franke, maintains he was unaware and had no involvement in his estranged wife's wrongdoing.

Shortly after Ruby's arrest, it was revealed that the associate professor had been secretly isolated from the influencer for over a year before being taken into police custody.

He then filed for divorce in November 2023 and simultaneously requested a domestic relations restraining order. The injunction requires all parties involved to refrain from harassing, assaulting, or disrespecting the other party or their children in any way.

Four of Franke's children are still minors and are in the custody of Child Protective Services as their parents' custody hearings are still ongoing.