Kevin Franke, estranged husband of YouTuber Ruby Franke, has come forward with startling revelations about the conditions he endured in their home and his allegations against Ruby's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. These revelations follow Ruby Franke's August arrest on charges of child abuse, a case that has drawn widespread public and media attention.
Kevin Franke described to authorities the strict rules imposed by Ruby and her associate Hildebrandt during their separation at the end of 2021 into 2022. "There were all these rules now placed on me… I couldn’t come into the kitchen to eat until Ruby gave me permission," Kevin shared in an interview released by the Washington County Attorney's Office in Utah.
Kevin also revealed that Ruby had become involved with ConneXions, a life coaching service founded by Hildebrandt, which he termed a "religious cult." According to Kevin, Hildebrandt moved into their home and began exhibiting disturbing behavior, claiming she was tormented by evil spirits and experiencing trances.
This culminated in a deeply unsettling environment where Kevin felt completely controlled by Ruby and Hildebrandt. "Every moment Jodi was there… weirdest crap started happening," Kevin explained, illustrating a home fraught with paranoia and supernatural occurrences.
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt's relationship and their subsequent behavior not only led to the mental and physical manipulation of Kevin but also to severe child abuse. The discovery of their 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, both emaciated and in desperate need of medical care, led to the pair’s arrests in August 2023.
The abuse case took a darker turn as Kevin described how Hildebrandt exploited her knowledge of child welfare laws to evade intervention. This prompted Kevin to urge Utah legislators to tighten child welfare laws, emphasizing that the system’s loopholes allowed his children’s continued suffering undetected.
During a hearing, Kevin stressed the need for child welfare workers to have more authority to act on reported concerns from relatives or neighbors, even if additional evidence of abuse isn’t immediately available. "These individuals should no longer be able to hide child abuse by simply ignoring the phone calls… from DCFS caseworkers," Kevin stated.
Both Ruby and Jodi eventually pleaded guilty to multiple counts of child abuse and received the maximum 30-year prison sentences in February 2024. This verdict followed Ruby’s poignant courtroom apology, acknowledging the dark delusion she had been under and expressing remorse for her actions against her children.
Public records revealed that concerns over the Franke household had been raised long before the arrests. Ruby's adult daughter, Shari Franke, had previously contacted authorities detailing her fears for her siblings, highlighting the inefficacy of the child welfare system.
In light of these events, Ruby’s and Kevin’s narrative underscores the desperate need for revised child welfare legislation, stricter oversight of life coaching services, and a clearer definition of emotional abuse within legal frameworks. As Utah grapples with these revelations, the hope remains that the systemic failures exposed by this case will prompt significant reforms.