Summary

Supers/Fonts:

Story Location: St George

State/Province: Utah

Shot Date: 02/20/2024

URL: https://kutvcom/news/8-passengers-case/live-updates-ruby-franke-jodi-hildebrandt-sentencing#

Notes and Restrictions:

Newsource Notes:

Story Description:
Elements:
reporter intro, vo Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt in court (court pool video from KUTV), sot from Franke, sot from LaMar Winward/Franke's attorney, sots from Judge John Walton, sot from Douglas Terry/Hildebrandt's attorney, sots from Eric Clarke/Washington County Attorney, reporter tag

Wire/StoryDescription:
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt have been sentenced, each one facing between one - 15 years behind bars for each count of second-degree aggravated child abuse to which they pled guilty

As part of two plea agreements with Washington County, two counts were dropped from the original six that the former YouTubers were charged with

Utah's Board of Pardons and Parole will make the final determination on how many years of their consecutive sentences will be served in prison Utah's code on concurrent vs consecutive sentences limits consecutively-served prison sentences, which aren't allowed to exceed 30 years Only two exceptions apply: If the convicted individual receives a life sentence or a death sentence, neither of which apply to the Franke-Hildebrandt case

Both women gave statements ahead of their sentencing

Prior to Franke's statement, the court received impact statements from her parents and brother, none of whom were able to attend in person

Both the statements recounted how Franke was a different person after she sought out a therapist to help one of her children

Franke found Jodi Hildebrandt and retained her services in 2020, according to Franke said in court She ended up paying Hildebrandt to be her mentor

Her parents' statement to Utah 5th District Judge John Walton said that was the year they all but lost their daughter

We noticed a shift in Rubys thinking the summer of 2020 and by that fall she cut all ties to us, her siblings, and close friends, her parents wrote For three years what brief communications we had with her she accused us of either things that never happen or she grossly exaggerated the events that did She was delusional She was so deeply brainwashed we could not recognize her

They said that following her arrest, Franke became the daughter they once knew again, and that She expressed her gratitude for being incarcerated and felt the mighty wakeup call was a huge blessing

As her mother and father, we plead with you to show her as much mercy as you possibly can, wrote Chad and Jennifer Griffiths Hopefully in time she will have a relationship with her children and they will remember the mother she once was to them and will find it in their hearts to forgive her, this would be the greatest healing balm of all for them

The Griffith's full statement to the court continues below

Additionally, Franke's brother, Beau Griffiths, submitted a statement that sent a more pointed message: Jodi Hildebrandt was the catalyst

He recalled their childhood and the accolades Franke received from teachers, employers and authority figures in the years leading up to the creation of her hit family vlog on YouTube, 8 Passengers

During her career on YouTube, she often told me that her desire was to spread the message that 'mothers are important and that mothers have strength in nurturing their children,' Beau Griffiths wrote I never had any concern for her and her children, and I was impressed with how generous and kind she has always been to my own children

The two joined Hildebrandt's ConneXions Classrooms program, according to the statement, and Ruby absorbed all that she was taught

Many of the teachings from the Connexions program were reasonable and good, the statement reads Unfortunately, as I later discovered, that is what made the program so dangerous

The program was by all definitions a cult, he added Ms Hildebrandt was the sole source of what was right or wrong and discouraged people from making their own life choices A recurring theme was the principle of separation and isolation, which the leader routinely prescribed
Beau Griffiths' full statement continues below

According to the statement, Hildebrandt wasn't attempting to heal relationships or help fix problems She was apparently creating new problems to keep clients returning - and paying

He alleged Hildebrandt had her eye on the amount of influence she could have via the millions of followers Ruby had amassed

In Ruby's case, I believe Ms Hildebrandt wanted Ruby's platform and influence for her own gain, according to Beau Griffiths

Ruby has clearly been brainwashed She has been taken advantage of by Ms Hildebrandt, he wrote Now, in the absence of Ms Hildebrandt, I see Ruby striving to restore those relationships

According to the statement, Hildebrandt wasn't attempting to heal relationships or help fix problems She was apparently creating new problems to keep clients returning - and paying

He alleged Hildebrandt had her eye on the amount of influence she could have via the millions of followers Ruby had amassed

In Ruby's case, I believe Ms Hildebrandt wanted Ruby's platform and influence for her own gain, according to Beau Griffiths

Ruby has clearly been brainwashed She has been taken advantage of by Ms Hildebrandt, he wrote Now, in the absence of Ms Hildebrandt, I see Ruby striving to restore those relationships

Jodi Hildebrandt, also given the opportunity to speak before sentencing, offered up a much shorter statement that appeared not to have resonated with the court - or with her own attorney

Her statement, in full:

I sincerely love these children I desire for them to heal physically and emotionally one of the reasons I did not go to trial is that I did not want them to emotionally relive the experience which would have been detrimental to them my hope and prayer is that they will heal and move forward to have beautiful lives I am willing to submit to what the state feels would be an appropriate amount of time served to make retribution as an outcome
Hildebrandt's attorney immediately followed by explaining why Hildebrandt had chosen not to provide a statement for a pre-sentence report, which the judge uses to help determine the sentence

Your honor, I knew that whatever she might say to the author of the pre-sentence report would probably be sound hollow and self-serving, attorney Doug Terry said And perhaps it does today, but I know that my client - in the statement that she makes to the court today - that that statement is absolutely sincere

Walton questioned the validity of that claim

Does Hildebrandt recognize that it's her behavior that caused the harm to the children that she's referred to in her statement? he asked, with her attorney answering that she did

Walton then spoke directly to Hildebrandt:

This circumstance is tragic It's largely, of course, of your making By any measure, your conduct in this case was disastrous for these children Adults are supposed to protect children Adults with specialized training in particular are supposed to protect children You didn't do that In this case, you terrorize children and the results have been tragic It's what happened to these children And your philosophy in dealing with them, frankly ,seems detached from reality or any objective standard of decency or or even common sense
Walton handed down the four consecutive sentences, and Hildebrandt left the courtroom

Still at hand, though, is the case of restitution the two women may owe, and how much Hildebrandt was allowed to sell her multi-million dollar home in Ivins, Utah, but the judge ordered she not have the ability to touch the assets pending the court's decision

The state requested the issue be put on hold, and Walton set a deadline of eight months for the matter to be resolved

Both Franke and Hildebrandt have 30 days to file an appeal


Station Notes/Scripts:
RUBY FRANKE AND JODI HILDEBRANT SHARED STATEMENTS

FRANKE SPOKE FOR ALMOST 10 MINUTES

HILDEBRANT WAS VISIBLY SHAKING - SHE SHARED TWO TO THREE SENTENCES

PKG:

THESE TWO WOMEN WHO HAVE GAINED WORLDWIDE ATTENTION FOR BEING GUILTY OF CHILD ABUSE BOTH SHARED STATEMENTS IN COURT -

FORMER UTAH YOUTUBBER RUBY FRANKE CRIED MULTIPLE TIMES EXPRESSING SHAME FOR ABUSING HER CHILDREN

(FRANKE SENTENCING)

10:11:01 my charges are just, they offer safety to my family\

HER ATTORNEY AFTEWARDS REINTERATES SHE ACCEPTS HER PRISON SENTENCE:

RUBY FRANKE ATTORNEY (JD 1802)

:11:02:33 We feel today that justice is served Ruby is committed to changing her way of thinking and acting during her time in prison

DURING JODI HILDEBRANDTS SENTENCING SHE SPOKE BRIEFLY SAYING SHE LOVES THESE CHILDREN

BUT THE JUDGE JOHN WALTON FELT:

(SCHNEE JUDGE SOUND) \Ms Hildebrandt the circumstance is tragic it's largely of your making by any measure your conduct was disastrous for these children in this case you terrorized children and the results have been tragic

HILDEBRANDTS ATTORNEY STATING:

:11:06:50 she hopes for the physical and emotional healing of these children is absolutely sincere

BUTAFTERWARDS THE WASHINGTON COUNTY ATTORNEY ERIC CLARKE DESCRIBED THE CONDITIONS THE CHILDREN WERE IN

JD1801

:10:53:56 if thats not a concentration camp setting, I dont know what is

HE SAID HE WANTS HILDEBRANT TO SERVE A LONGER SENTENCE FRANKE

:10:57:04 She has done wrong and you cant use religion as a mean to justify your crazy behavior

JD1801

:10:55:50 Is this some of the worst child abuse youve seen in your career?

:10:55:52 Yes and not just in my career but in our offices career

LOOKLIVE TAG:

WE WONT KNOW FOR A FEW MONTHS - HOW LONG THESE TWO WOMEN WILL BE IN PRISON

BUT IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS - THEY'RE EXPECTED TO BE MOVED FROM WASHINGTON'S COUNTY'S JAIL - AND LIKLEY BE MOVED TO THE UTAH DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

AMANDA GILBERT KUTV 2 NEWS

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