Jodi, I need you to step out. >> I have I have my turn. That's great. Step out of the house. No, I'm not going to step out of the >> Step out of the house. Step out of the house. Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. We're just going to step out of the house. You're going to be out of the house. Wait a minute. How do you come IN MY HOUSE? RIGHT THERE. YouTuber Ruby Franke, >> former mom influencer Ruby Franke, the mom influencer who pleaded guilty to child abuse charges. For years, Ruby Franke wasn't just a YouTuber. She was the gold standard for parenting in America. Through her channel, 8 Passengers, she broadcasted a life of order, discipline, and supposed happiness to millions. Alongside her business partner and therapist, Jodi Hildebrandt, she built an empire under the brand Connections, claiming to teach the world the truth. But behind the high-definition cameras and the polished smiles, a disturbing transformation was taking place. One that would soon turn a household name into a national nightmare. Any time you think I want fill in the blank, I don't care what it is, that is not love. Love is a is a gift that you offer because you have generated it inside yourself. And how do you generate love? Well, the the only way to generate love is you use your agency to choose principles of truth. As the cracks began to show, Ruby's rhetoric became increasingly radical. When concerned viewers started questioning the harsh environment of the Franke home, Ruby was ready with a cold, calculated defense. She constantly told her followers that no family is without struggles, using this relatable phrase to mask the extreme isolation and psychological control she was imposing on her children. She wasn't just a mother sharing her life. She was a leader enforcing a strict cult-like doctrine that brooked no dissent. There is no such thing as a family, a home that is free of dysfunction. Every family has some level somewhere of dysfunction. Doesn't mean you have to accept it and don't accept it if it's abusive, but the discipline soon crossed the line into undeniable cruelty. In one of her most infamous clips, Ruby showed a chilling lack of empathy that left her audience breathless. She openly discussed her decision not to bring lunch to her 6-year-old daughter who had forgotten to pack it herself. Ruby's logic was terrifying. She hoped the child would suffer from hunger as a way to learn personal responsibility. To Ruby, a child's basic biological need for food was nothing more than a bargaining chip in her twisted game of truth. I know that her teacher is uncomfortable with her being hungry and not having a lunch. And it would ease her discomfort if I came to the school with a lunch. Um but I I responded and just said Eve is responsible for making her lunches in the morning and she actually told me she did pack a lunch. So, the natural outcome is she's just going to need to be hungry. Despite the massive backlash and thousands of petitions calling for an investigation, Ruby remained unshakable. She took to her platform to blast her critics, famously stating that she didn't care about the haters or the opinions of those who didn't follow her strict ideology. Protected by the walls of her mansion and the manipulative guidance of Hildebrandt, Ruby felt untouchable. She believed she was answering to a higher power, and anyone who disagreed was simply living in distortion. lying who hate me, who would like to cancel me, who would like to see me um either burn in hell as I've told or um disappear off the face of the earth, and I'm not going anywhere. Then, in a move that shocked the YouTube community, Ruby broke down in tears. She announced she was stepping away from the platform, claiming a desperate need to save her family and focus entirely on her children's well-being. It was a performance that many believed at the time, but we now know the truth. This wasn't a retreat for healing. It was an escape into total isolation. Once the cameras were off, the real horror began, and the children were left alone with the two women who would eventually lead them into a living hell. Full time. You wonder where I've been on my vlogs? You wonder why I left YouTube? It's to save my kids. No amount of money. I And I'm telling you, I was making millions. And I left it because my kids were being hurt. With entitlement, they were being hurt. With people's advice, and they didn't have a mother up the front saying, "I don't care what the world's opinion is. This is the truth, and this is where I stand." But the blueprint for this tragedy was drawn years ago. Long before Ruby Franke met her downfall, there was Adam Steed. Adam wasn't just a patient. He was a survivor of Jodi Hildebrandt's clinical destruction. Jodi didn't just treat Adam and his wife, she systematically dismantled their marriage and alienated Adam from his own children using the exact same psychological weapons she later handed to Ruby. Adam tried to warn the authorities filing complaints and shouting from the rooftops that Jodi was a danger to families. If only someone had listened to Adam Steed back then, the Franke children might have been spared their nightmare. You know, she works but she put us in a phase one. There's phase two and phase three of the particular group she was in at the point and phase one she didn't it wasn't very intense. It was light-hearted and fun. And you know, think of like a PG movie or something and a lady that's just charismatic and fun and teaching these principles about delusion, denial and all this kind of stuff. Uh codependency using small examples in people's lives where they didn't realize they were in this state and the whole room laughing about it. That was phase one and it was you know, um couples, all happy couples thinking they were with this incredible lady. You know, when when she separated the couples into all women and all men groups then after she gained everyone's trust then really bad things began to happen. And um what's different in in my case is that when I chose to leave this like cult-like group uh there uh Jodi tried to punish me and she worked through UYANA code office uh and legal measures to to try to hurt me. And I have I I have an um the emails between my ex-wife and her planning out all this stuff, talking about what the real issues in our marriage were. And then them evolving that into something drastically different with allegations that would totally destroy your life. August 30th, 2023. The day the world finally learned the truth. A 12-year-old boy, emaciated and covered in open wounds, managed to climb out of a window in Jodi Hildebrandt's home. He ran to a neighbor's house, begging for food and water. The neighbor, horrified by the sight of duct tape wrapped around the boy's limbs, immediately called 911. This single phone call would shatter Ruby Franke's empire forever. What's your name? What did you do? We know there's been problems at this neighbor's house. He's emaciated. He's got tape around his legs. He's hungry and he's thirsty. He asked us to call the police. So he's very afraid. This kid has obviously been I think he's been He's been detained. He's been He's obviously covered in wounds. All right, we need the cops here as soon as possible. Police rushed to the scene in Ivins, Utah, knowing they were walking into something grave. Inside the luxury residence, they found Jodi Hildebrandt, the woman who had convinced Ruby that starvation was a form of spiritual cleansing. As officers secured the perimeter, the calm and calculated facade Jodi had maintained for years began to crumble. The mastermind behind the Connections doctrine was finally in handcuffs. Can you just step out? I have I have my attorney. That's great. Step out of the house. No, I'm not going to step out of the house. Step out of the house. Step out of the house. Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah. We're just going to step in the house. You're going to be okay. Wait a minute, how do you come IN MY HOUSE? RIGHT THERE. LOOK, they walked into my house. Just have a seat right there. Do you have a search warrant? >> right there. >> a search warrant? Have a seat right there. I'll explain everything after. Have a seat right there. Do you have a search warrant, sir? Control 1211, can you hold the air? We're searching the house. I can tell you what's in the house. Okay. Just have a seat right there for me. Do you have a search warrant? >> We'll explain it after this. You can't just come into my house without a search warrant. We'll explain everything after this, ma'am. Not long after, the perfect YouTube mom herself was located. Ruby Franke, the woman who once lectured millions on how to be virtuous parents, was escorted to a police cruiser in handcuffs. Gone were the professional lights and the scripted smiles. For the first time, Ruby wasn't the one controlling the narrative. She was just another suspect in a high-profile child abuse investigation. The scene inside the house was described by investigators as resembling a concentration camp. Officers found more of Ruby's children hidden away, showing severe signs of malnutrition and physical abuse. These were children who had been taught that their suffering was their own fault. As the police began to rescue them, the true scale of the torture, both physical and psychological, started to emerge from the shadows. You don't want to talk? Okay. And there's nothing that I can do to make you want to talk at all? It's okay to talk to me. Are you scared? Yes. Yes? For Yes. At the police station, the truth that Ruby had preached for so long was nowhere to be found. Faced with the evidence of her crimes, the vocal YouTuber suddenly lost her voice. She refused to cooperate with investigators and immediately demanded a lawyer. This was no longer a platform for her followers. This was a legal battle for her freedom. And Ruby Franke knew exactly how much she had to lose. Do you want to talk to me about where you live or how many kids you have? So, we just spoke with your husband and he said you guys have six kids. And that's all together? Or is that all of your kids? I can wait all day. So, it's up to you if you want to talk to us about what's going on. Would you feel more comfortable talking to one of us? Maybe you want me to I can step out if you want. Or if you feel more comfortable talking to him, I can step out. I'll wait till I have a lawyer. Facing a mountain of evidence and the testimonies of their own victims, the wall of denial finally crumbled. In a shocking turn of events, both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt stood before the court and pleaded guilty to multiple counts of aggravated child abuse. The truth they had preached for years was now being judged by the laws of the land. And their legacy of perfection was officially replaced by a criminal record. Ms. Franke, how do you plead to count one, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? Guilty. To count three, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? Guilty. To count five, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? Guilty. And to count six, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty. Then, Ms. Hildebrandt, how do you plead to count one, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? Guilty. And to count three, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? Guilty. To count five, aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony? Guilty. The prosecution didn't hold back. Washington County Attorney Eric Clark delivered a haunting opening statement, painting a vivid picture of the environment inside the home. He described a house of horrors where children were isolated, controlled, and broken. An environment where love was replaced by fear, and home was no longer a place of safety, but a prison of psychological and physical torment. From May to August in 2023, Ms. Franke and her business partner held her two children, ages nine and 11, turning 12, in a concentration-camp-like setting. The children were regularly denied food, water, beds to sleep in, and virtually all forms of entertainment. They were isolated from others and were hidden when people came to visit the house where the children and the defendants were staying. The children were forced to do physical tasks like carrying loaded boxes up and downstairs and wall sits or sitting against a wall without a chair or stool for hours at a time. They were also forced to do manual labor outdoors in the extreme summer heat at times without shoes or socks. They were forced to stand outside on a cement patio in the summer heat for hours and even days at a time. They were beaten and the 12-year-old was regularly bound hand and foot after he attempted to run away in mid-July. Heaven only knows how much longer When it was her turn to speak, Ruby Franke appeared unrecognizable from her YouTube persona. With tears in her eyes, she admitted to her failures as a mother and stated that she deserved to be behind bars. She claimed she was willing to serve time to atone for her sins, but many wondered, was this a genuine moment of clarity or just another scripted performance to win the court's sympathy? I would like to make a statement without any intent to change my stipulated sentence. For the past 4 years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion. My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me. 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 abused. My choice to believe and behave this paranoia culminated into criminal activity for which I stand before you today ready to take accountability. Jodi Hildebrandt was never my business partner nor was I ever employed by her. I have never received wages from her or connections. Jodi was employed as my son's counselor in 2019 and in 2020 I paid her to be my mentor. It is important to me to demonstrate my remorse and regret without blame. I take full accountability for my choices and it is my preference that I serve a prison sentence. But the details only got darker. Attorney Eric Clark exposed the specific chilling methods of abuse orchestrated by Jodi Hildebrandt. He detailed how Jodi used her professional background to justify systemic torture convincing the children that they were evil and that their suffering was necessary for their salvation. It was a level of calculated cruelty that left everyone in the courtroom in stunned silence. After being caught, Ms. Hildebrandt has shown little to no remorse for her actions. In telephone conversations that will be provided in full to the Board of Pardons and Parole and which she knew to be recorded, she's repeatedly claimed that she is the victim and the children are the perpetrators. She's gone so far as to say that the things said in this proceeding and covered by the media today will be full of lies. The combination of three factors make Ms. Hildebrandt a significant threat to the community. First, the severity of the abuse she caused to be inflicted on young children. Second, her attitude that everything she did was justified and that she is being wrongfully imprisoned. And third her training as a therapist Jodi Hildebrandt the woman who once controlled the minds of her followers stood to address the court. She claimed she only wished for the children's healing and stated she would accept whatever sentence the judge handed down. Yet, for the victims and the public, her words felt hollow. A sharp contrast to the years of pain she had masterminded behind the scenes of her Connections program. I sincerely love these children. I desire for them to heal physically and emotionally. One of the reasons I did not go to trial is that I did not want them to emotionally relive the experience which would have been detrimental to them. My hope and prayer is that they will heal and move forward to have beautiful lives. I am willing to submit to what the state feels would be an appropriate amount of time served to make restitution. Then came the moment of ultimate accountability. The judge looked at both women and delivered a sentence that echoed throughout the world of social media. Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were each sentenced to four consecutive terms of 1 to 15 years in prison. As the handcuffs were tightened and they were led away, the era of 8 Passengers was silenced forever by the sound of the judge's gavel. Ms. Hildebrandt, this this circumstance is tragic. It's largely, of course, of your making. By any measure, your conduct in this case was disastrous for these children. Adults are supposed to protect children. Adults with specialized training in particular are supposed to protect children. You didn't do that in this case. In this In this case, you terrorized children, and the results have been tragic. What happened to these children and your philosophy in dealing with them frankly seems detached from reality or any objective standard of decency or or even common sense, and the court finds that it is appropriate that you serve a prison sentence. The court finds under the statute Utah Code 76-3-401 that given the gravity and circumstances of the offenses, the number of victims, and the history and character and needs of the defendant that consecutive sentences are appropriate. The court imposes four 1 to 15-year sentences. The case of Ruby Franke is more than just a headline. It's a chilling reminder of how easily darkness can hide behind a perfect digital facade. While Ruby and Jodi begin their long years behind bars, the real story is about the resilience of the children who survived a living nightmare. They are the true heroes of this tragedy, finally free from the truth that nearly destroyed them. As the cameras turn off for good on the eight passengers, justice has finally been served. What do you think of the sentence? Was 30 years enough, or should the law have been even harsher? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. If you found this deep dive helpful, don't forget to hit the like button and subscribe to Verdict Prime for more in-depth legal breakdowns and true crime stories. Thank you for watching, and we'll see you in the next verdict.