Ruby Franke, Kevin Franke Divorce Terms After Child Abuse Scandal
Ruby Frankeâs Husband Says He Asked Her to Stop Contacting Him From Prison
Ruby Franke and Kevin Franke are going down separate paths.Â
More than a year after the disgraced â8 Passengersâ YouTuber was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison alongside colleague Jodi Hildebrandt for child abuse, she and her husband have finalized their divorce, according to KSL-TV Utah.Â
Per the outlet, District Judge Roger Griffin signed the coupleâs divorce decree March 20, granting Kevin sole custody of the coupleâs four children who are still minors. (They are also parents to Shari, 21, and Chad, 20.) Ruby, meanwhile, has been ordered to have no contact with them, per an order from the 4th District Juvenile Court obtained by KSL-TV.
And while typically child support is paid in a full custody agreement, Kevin agreed to âconsider any child support payments owed to him by Ruby Franke already paid,â per KSL-TV. Kevin will also retain ownership of the coupleâs home Springville Utah, along with a 2.8 acre-property in Scofield, Carbon County.Â
Ruby will keep $85,000 that she withdrew from accounts after her initial separation from her ex husband in 2022 but all other financial assets in her name will be reallocated to Kevin. Neither party requested any additional alimony.Â
Although the couple had been living apart since September 2022, Kevin filed for divorce in December 2023, three months after she was arrested.Â
Ruby and Jodi pleaded guilty to child abuse charges last year after the 43-year-oldâs two youngest children were found emaciated and abused in their care. Utah state prosecutor Eric Clarke claimed that the women had âcommitted horrible acts of child abuse.â
Instagram/Ruby Franke
In February, Kevinâwho married Ruby in 2000âtold People that he and Ruby were close to reaching a divorce settlement, and that he had cut off all contact with her in the last year.Â
âThe last letter that I received from her from prison was maybe in March or April of last year,â he told the outlet. âAnd then I requested the Department of Corrections to ask her to stop writing me.”
Kevin admitted he was still âvery angryâ with his wife.Â
âI didnât want to hear anymore,â he added. âI didnât like what she was saying. It just didnât feel right and it didnât feel good.â
Keep reading for more information on Rubyâs troubling case.Â
Aug. 30, 2023: Children Found Malnourished
Utah police received a call about a starved child being found, they shared in a press release. The minorâwho appeared “emaciated and malnourished” with “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities”âwas taken to the hospital in “severe” condition.
He was later identified as YouTuber Ruby Franke’s 12-year-old son, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by NBC News. He had been at the home of Ruby’s business partner Jodi Hildebrant and had climbed out of a window before going to a neighbor’s house to ask for help, per the document.
Police then searched a nearby home, where another child was found “in a similar physical condition of malnourishment” and was also hospitalized, per the press release.
Authorities later explained that they discovered Ruby’s 9-year-old daughter “petrified” while sitting by herself in an empty closet in Jodi’s house, per evidence released by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.
Aug. 30, 2023: ArrestÂ
Ruby was arrested for aggravated child abuse charges in Utah along with Jodi, who in 2007 established a life coaching service called ConneXions, which former clients described to NBC News as a “cult-like” program based on principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Aug. 31, 2023: Ruby’s Daughter Speaks Out
On Aug. 31, E! reported that Shari Franke, Ruby’s estranged adult daughter, reacted to the news on her Instagram Story.
“Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” wrote Shari, who was born in 2003. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up. Kids are safe, but there’s a long road ahead.”
Instagram / Bonnie Hoellein
Aug. 31, 2023: Ruby’s Sisters React to Arrest
Ruby’s sisters Ellie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein and Julie Deru spoke out as well, saying the YouTuber’s arrest “needed to happen.”
“For the last 3 years we have kept quiet on the subject of Ruby Franke for the sake of her children,” they wrote in a joint Instagram statement. “Behind the public scene, we have done everything to try and make sure the kids were safe. We wouldn’t feel right about moving forward with regular content without addressing the most recent events. Once we do, we will not be commenting on it any further.”
The siblings said Ruby’s kids are “now safe, which is the number one priority.”
Instagram/@moms_of_truth
Sept. 6, 2023: Charges Filed
The former 8 Passengers YouTuber and her business partner Jodi were each formally charged with six counts of felony child abuse by the Washington County Attorney in Utah.
Sept. 6, 2023: Kevin Franke Breaks Silence
Ruby’s husband Kevin Franke came forward to deny involvement in her alleged crimes. His lawyer Randy Kester told Good Morning America the spouses had been living apart for 13 months before the arrest.
“He is a good person, he’s very gentle,” the attorney said. “He’s a very gentle guy. And no one has ever made any allegations that he’s physically abused those kids or anyone else.”Â
Nov. 29, 2023: Kevin Files for Divorce
Kevin officially filed for divorce from the Utah influencer, according to a domestic relations injunction obtained by NBC News.
Dec. 18: Guilty Pleas
E! confirmed Dec. 18 that Ruby had entered a guilty plea for four of her charges. At the time, per the Associated Press, she stated, “With my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty.”
Jodi would also plead guilty to four counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse.
Washington County Attorney’s Office
Feb. 20, 2024: Prison Sentencing
Both women were sentenced to four consecutive one to 15 year sentences, which will be capped at the 30-year max in Utah.
Instagram(moms_of_truth)
Feb. 20, 2024: Ruby Apologizes
The parent vlogger apologized during her sentencing to her six kids and estranged husband.
“For the past four years, I’ve chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion,” she said in court. “My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me.”
She continued, “To my babies, you are a part of me. I believed dark was light and right was wrong. I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft, and safe, and good.”
March 25, 2024: Ruby’s Diary Revealed
Prosecutors released her chilling journal entries, in which she wrote about her mistreatment of her children, including her “Satanic” tween son.
“He slithers & sneaks around looking for opportunities when no one is watching & then he scurries,” she wrote in an entry from July 10, 2023, which was her son’s 12th birthday. “If he wants to emulate the savior, he needs to be 100% obedient with exactness. No wavering, no hiding.”
She wrote about punishing her children by beating them and withholding food and water.
Instagram(moms_of_truth)
March 25, 2024: Kevin’s Interview With Authorities Becomes Public
Prosecutors released audio footage of Kevin talking with investigators after Ruby was arrested, in which he spoke about alleged restrictions he faced in their house.
“There were all these rules now placed on me, like I can leave when I want but I couldn’t come back until Ruby gave me permission,” Kevin said in an audio clip obtained by E!. “I couldn’t come into the kitchen to eat until Ruby gave me permission and the upstairs where Jodi was was completely offline. I couldn’t go upstairs anymore in my own house. And Ruby would dictate all of the terms of how our interactions would be, when we would talk. And that was hard.”
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