YouTube mom Ruby Franke apologizes at sentencing in child abuse case

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A judge has set a prison sentence of up to 60 years for parenting advice blogger Ruby Franke after she admitted to physically and emotionally abusing her children. Franke and mental health counselor Jodi Hildebrandt spoke Tuesday (Feb. 20, 2024) during their sentencing hearings after they pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. Hildebrandt will also serve up to 60 years in prison. Franke apologized to her children Tuesday but blamed Hildebrandt for brainwashing her. The women were arrested at Hildebrandt’s house last August after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped. Franke and her husband launched the YouTube channel “8 Passengers” in 2015 and amassed a large following as they documented their experiences raising six children.