Angela Levin went on claiming: “She will control it – it will be lots of phone calls, lots of telling him what to do. She has to be in charge.”
Ruby Franke, a popular parenting YouTuber, and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were sentenced to 30 years in jail on Tuesday for child abuse charges, the most severe penalty permitted under Utah law.
The charges originate from one of Franke’s children fleeing Hildebrandt’s residence in August to beg a neighbour for assistance.
According to CBS News station KUTV, Franke has been sentenced to four consecutive prison terms ranging from one to fifteen years each. The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will determine prison terms, and Franke has 30 days to challenge the judgment.
Hildebrandt and Franke received the same punishment.
Franke’s now-defunct “8 Passengers” YouTube channel provided parenting guidance, while Hildebrandt owned ConneXions Classroom, a counseling firm.
Both women were charged with six charges of aggravated child abuse, a second-degree felony punishable by one to fifteen years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
State prosecutor Eric Clarke compared Franke’s children’s environment to a “concentration camp-like setting” and accused Franke of “horrible acts of child abuse,” while deeming Hildebrandt a “significant threat” to the community.
Before receiving their sentences, both women addressed the courtroom.
Hildebrandt stated that she will “submit to what the state considers an appropriate amount of time served.”
