Ruby Franke | Family Vlogger Claims to Feel Remorse After Pleading Guilty

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[00:00:46] Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com slash income all lowercase. Go to shopify.com slash income now to grow your business no matter what stage you're in. This is True Crime Psychology and Personality where we discuss the pathology behind some

[00:01:18] of the most horrific crimes and those who committed them from a scientifically informed perspective. I'm Dr. Todd Grande. I have a PhD in counselor education and supervision and I'm a licensed professional counselor of mental health. Dr. Todd Grande, that's my YouTube channel.

[00:01:37] Today's question is, can I offer an update on the Ruby Frank case including her plea bargain? First I'll look at the background of this case, move to the timeline of the crime, then offer my analysis. Ruby Frank was born in 1982 and lived in Springville, Utah.

[00:01:55] Some media sources pronounce her last name as Frankie. I'll just call her Ruby. She married a man named Kevin and the couple had six children. The family belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or LDS.

[00:02:08] In 2015, Ruby started a family vlogging channel on YouTube titled 8 Passengers. The channel featured a variety of mundane activities like preparing meals, arguing, and opening packages. Despite the channel accumulating over 1 billion views, Ruby stopped uploading videos in 2022 and deleted the channel in 2023.

[00:02:32] She would later explain the deletion stating that she was a quote, hugely disconnected, selfish, aggressive, neglectful mother, unquote. Ruby implied that the souls of her children were hurt and she left the channel to save them. Her children were being influenced by people's advice and by entitlement.

[00:02:53] Ruby was angry at herself for letting her children do what they wanted. In June of 2022, Ruby became business partners with a licensed mental health counselor named Jody Hildebrandt. Jody ran a company called Connections, which was supposed to be some type of mental health

[00:03:09] advice company based on honesty, humility, and personal responsibility. Ruby and Jody operated a YouTube channel together. They offered advice on teaching children, parenting, and coping with darkness and deception. Ruby referred to herself as a quote, certified mental fitness trainer, unquote, with Jody's company.

[00:03:33] Now moving to the timeline of the crime. On August 30, 2023, Ruby and Jody were arrested after Ruby's 12-year-old son, identified in court documents as RF, climbed out of a window in Jody's residence in Ivins, Utah. RF ran to a neighbor's house and asked for food and water.

[00:03:53] The neighbor contacted the police after realizing that RF was suffering from malnutrition and had duct tape on his wrists and ankles. After the police arrived, they found Ruby's 10-year-old daughter in Jody's residence. She was also suffering from malnutrition. Ruby's daughter was identified in court documents as EF.

[00:04:13] The victims were taken to the hospital and treated. Ruby and Jody were charged with six counts of second-degree felony aggravated child abuse. Each count carries a sentence from one to 15 years in prison. The Washington County Attorney's Office agreed to dismiss two of the six counts against Ruby

[00:04:31] if she pleaded guilty to the other four counts. In the plea agreement, the nature of Ruby's crimes was described in detail. Here is a summary of what Ruby admitted to. From May of 2023 until August of 2023, Ruby intentionally and knowingly inflicted and

[00:04:50] allowed another adult to inflict serious physical injuries upon RF and EF. Ruby made RF perform various physical tasks, including carrying heavy boxes up and down stairs and working outside in the heat. He was not permitted to wear shoes and had to stand in direct sunlight for several days.

[00:05:11] RF experienced serious sunburn as a result. He was denied an adequate supply of water and punished when he secretly consumed water. In addition, he wasn't given enough food. Other occupants of the house were supplied with food that contained more flavor.

[00:05:28] RF was not provided any type of entertainment, including electronic devices or books. In July of 2023, RF attempted to escape. After this, he was restrained with handcuffs. His wrists and ankles were injured. These injuries were treated with homeopathic remedies and covered in duct tape.

[00:05:49] At times, Ruby kicked RF while wearing boots, held his head underwater, and cut off his supply of oxygen by placing her hands over his mouth and nose. Ruby's mission was to convince RF that he was evil and possessed.

[00:06:05] She falsely claimed to RF that the punishments were acts of love and were necessary for him to repent. As far as Ruby's daughter EF, she was subjected to much of the same punishment, including being forced to work outside in the heat.

[00:06:22] Under the terms of Ruby's plea agreement, she understood that the sentences received for each of the four counts are to be served consecutively. She further agreed to testify against Jody Hildebrandt. Someday when Ruby comes up before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, the government

[00:06:41] will remain neutral, so they will not ask the board to keep Ruby in prison. On December 18, 2023, Ruby pleaded guilty to the four counts. As each of the first three counts was read by the judge, Ruby responded with the word guilty.

[00:06:57] For the fourth count, she said, quote, with my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children, guilty, unquote. She will be sentenced on February 20, 2024. Ruby is facing a maximum of 60 years in prison.

[00:07:13] Her attorney claimed that Ruby was a devoted mother who was taken advantage of by Jody Hildebrandt. Initially, Ruby believed that Jody had the insight to offer a path to continual improvement, but Jody took advantage of this quest and twisted it into something heinous.

[00:07:30] The attorney further claimed that Jody systematically isolated Ruby from her husband, older children, and extended family. The prolonged isolation exposed Ruby to a distorted sense of morality. Essentially, Ruby's attorney is putting the blame on Jody Hildebrandt.

[00:07:48] As far as Ruby's level of insight, her attorney said, quote, she has actively engaged in an introspection that has allowed her to reset her moral compass and understand the full weight of her actions.

[00:08:00] Ms. Frank is committed to taking responsibility for the part she played in the events leading up to her incarceration, unquote. Did you guys hear about that couple that went on vacation and one spouse murdered the other?

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[00:09:53] Learn what you love and listen to the French History Podcast today. Now moving to my analysis. Here are my thoughts on a few areas that stood out to me in this case. Item number one.

[00:10:08] When the news of Ruby's arrest was first reported, some people were prepared to think the worst of her. There was already a lot of suspicion about the way she had treated her children when the

[00:10:18] 8 Passengers channel was active, so the news that she did something wrong in this domain wasn't necessarily surprising. Nobody knew who Jody Hildebrandt was, but a quick look at Jody's history pointed to some problematic behavior as far as maintaining boundaries.

[00:10:34] So just like the situation with Ruby, it wasn't necessarily surprising to hear that Jody had been accused as well. Even so, the details of Ruby's crimes are shocking, far worse than many expected. Ruby seemed highly committed to this idea that RF and EF were evil and possessed, and

[00:10:53] was willing to do just about anything to purge them of these demons. Some of the punishments that she used could have resulted in death. Ruby committed heinous offenses that cannot be characterized as simply going too far with a typical punishment.

[00:11:09] She is in a class of her own as far as being a criminal. If Jody is guilty as well, these two represent a devastating criminal team. They somehow moved from offering parenting advice to become horrible offenders who engaged in behavior that will fuel nightmares for years to come.

[00:11:28] Item number 2. Not long after Ruby was arrested, she accused one of her children of committing terrible offenses against a younger sibling over the course of years. This appeared to be an attempt by Ruby to escape responsibility.

[00:11:41] Now she wants everyone to believe that she is willing to accept responsibility, like when she said, "...with my deepest regret and sorrow to my family and my children." Considering her behavior, it's ironic that Ruby claimed that RF and EF were evil and possessed.

[00:11:57] Perhaps Ruby was the one who needed repentance and redemption the entire time along. I think it's a good sign that Ruby accepted responsibility, but it's way too soon to assume that she is truly sorry. Ruby was not under some type of spell. She acted of her own volition.

[00:12:14] Jody Hildebrandt does not have any type of magical power, except maybe the power to bore viewers with her videos. Ruby did not need to gain this power from Jody, considering this was an ability that Ruby already possessed.

[00:12:26] In this domain, Ruby was the master and Jody was the apprentice. Item number 3. How would I conceptualize this case based on the evidence that is now available? This is just a theory, my opinion. Ruby Frank is moralistic, arrogant, overconfident, rigid, and irrational.

[00:12:46] She was greatly influenced by her religious values and became fearful of evil. Furthermore, she believed that she understood the way to fight evil, but the rest of the world was lost in darkness. Ruby was trying to save her children as others were trying to drag them into temptation.

[00:13:05] Through running her channel, 8 Passengers, Ruby became wealthy, but money was not her objective. Her main motivation was a fear of sin. When people criticized her parenting style, it eroded her confidence in her ability to fight evil thoughts.

[00:13:21] She came to believe that she was flawed, which was an accurate belief, but she incorrectly identified the problem. Ruby looked at herself as being too permissive, but in reality she was too strict and too inflexible.

[00:13:35] She had a profound lack of insight and was unable to see herself as others perceived her. In a terrible financial move, Ruby stopped uploading videos to her successful channel. This supports the idea that her motivation was not about money.

[00:13:51] She went in search of a way to resolve the essential conflict in her life. What was she going to do about all this evil in the world that was affecting her children? Ruby did not know the answer, but she was frightened and this fear drove her toward extreme

[00:14:06] behavior. It made her vulnerable to manipulation. When Ruby found Jodi, another person driven by strong religious ideology and an abundance of overconfidence, she had found her spiritual guru. So confident was Ruby in the belief that she had stumbled upon the way to truth and light

[00:14:25] that she deleted the 8 Passengers channel. She said to herself, the die is cast. This was her crossing the Rubicon moment. Instead of a single Roman legion, Ruby was leading a veritable army of nonsensical beliefs. Ruby and Jodi activated and validated each other's worst desires.

[00:14:45] They gave each other hope for the future. Ruby possessed the keys to social media fame, and Jodi was an abundant source of knowledge about evil in the world. One could argue that she was a master of evil.

[00:14:59] As they continued to bounce ideas back and forth, those ideas eventually became more twisted and dangerous. Breaking the law now became an option. Prior to meeting Ruby, Jodi had formed her own terrifying brand of treatment, which was focused on shame and designed to cleanse evil.

[00:15:18] She believed that shame was the source of all mental health symptoms and that sexual feelings were wrong. Jodi had been able to experiment with her bizarre treatment because she was partially shielded by certain members of LDS. In addition, she had been granted legitimacy through her counseling license.

[00:15:37] Jodi was hiding in plain sight and eager to apply her dangerous methods. She was absolutely positive that she was correct in everything she was doing, and her confidence was contagious. Ruby became obsessed with Jodi and gave her a high degree of control.

[00:15:54] She was desperate and believed that Jodi would save her and her children from evil. The manipulation of Ruby was profound, but she was contributing a lot of bizarre beliefs to the situation. At no time did Ruby fail to understand the difference between right and wrong.

[00:16:11] Ruby and Jodi were fixated on finding an external source of evil, but they didn't realize that all the harmful thoughts originated from them. They represented the evil which they were trying to destroy. They were the darkness. They were the deception.

[00:16:27] It was their own vindictiveness, sadism, arrogance, and sense of entitlement that caused the suffering in this case. The pernicious pair projected their own shortcomings onto Ruby's children. The punishments were directed at the wrong targets. Who knows what these two would have done if they had not been arrested?

[00:16:48] Now moving to my final thoughts. Ruby viewed Jodi as a master, a wise individual who held the keys to defeating evil. Jodi was a diamond in the rough who held the pearls of wisdom and was in search of a gemstone, not unlike a Ruby.

[00:17:05] Part of this master-apprentice relationship involved Ruby learning all of Jodi's strategies and beliefs. Prior to her arrest, Jodi played the victim in order to keep her counseling license after she was caught crossing boundaries. She allegedly continued her wrongdoing, which is why she was arrested.

[00:17:24] So Jodi never intended to change. There was no authentic desire to repent. Ultimately, Ruby accepted a plea deal and blamed Jodi for the crime. It sounds like Ruby learned from her master how to play the victim. Consistent with Jodi's strategy, Ruby also does not have any genuine remorse.

[00:17:45] It stands to reason that Ruby has not been reformed. She has not learned from the error of her ways. Rather, she has adopted a strategy of feigning remorse. Her higher mission of fighting evil has not ended.

[00:17:59] Ruby is doing exactly what she needs to do to get another chance to join the battle. It appears as though Ruby has now become the master of evil. This has been True Crime Psychology and Personality from Ars Langa Media. This content is for educational and entertainment purposes only.

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