Current:Home > reviewsYouTuber Ruby Franke Denies Doing "Naughty Things" in Jail Phone Call to Husband Kevin Franke -DollarDynamic
YouTuber Ruby Franke Denies Doing "Naughty Things" in Jail Phone Call to Husband Kevin Franke
View
Date:2025-04-14 00:22:25
Content warning: This story discusses child abuse.
Prosecutors have shared more insight into Ruby Franke's mindset following her arrest.
The Washington County Attorney's Office in Utah has released a jailhouse conversation between the former YouTuber and her estranged husband Kevin Franke, in which she blamed the devil for her Aug. 30 arrest over child abuse charges.
In the phone call—which took place just two days after Ruby and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were taken into custody—Ruby told her husband, "The most upsetting thing is that I am completely misunderstood."
"Satan has taken everything away from me that I love," the 42-year-old said Sept. 1 in the call from Purgatory Correctional Facility. "And I'm a good woman. I don't do naughty things. I don't do naughty things. I'm a really good girl."
The mom of six also told Kevin that she would stay away from their kids if she were acquitted. However, Kevin predicted she would likely have legal restrictions placed on her access to the children until they reached the age of 18.
"I figured such. God told me," she said. "God told me when I was driving before I called you."
"The Spirit said, ‘Your children are gonna be removed,'" she continued. "And I just cried out loud. I'm like, ‘No, I'm not done. I'm not ready.' And God told me I'm done."
Kevin can be heard telling her at that time, "I'm committed to our family. I'm committed to you and our marriage, no matter what happens. I will be here to support you in any way that I can."
He has since filed for divorce from Ruby, with his lawyer saying the pair had been living apart from for more than a year before her arrest.
E! News has reached out to lawyers for Ruby, Kevin and Jodi for comment on the phone call but has not heard back.
Ruby—who ran the 8 Passengers YouTube channel—was sentenced Feb. 20 to four to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. Following her sentencing, her lawyer made it clear she had no intention of appealing the sentence.
The family vlogger was originally arrested over aggravated child abuse charges in August when Utah police received a report of a starving child and investigated the allegations, the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said in a press release.
Authorities determined the child was in "severe" condition, looked "emaciated and malnourished" and had "open wounds and duct tape around the extremities."
During her hearing, Ruby apologized to her children and husband.
"For the past four years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion," Ruby said in court, per the livestream on the Utah court's website. "My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me."
"I believed dark was light and right was wrong," she added while addressing her kids. "I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft and safe, and good."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (1)
Related
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- Anheuser-Busch exec steps down after Bud Light sales slump following Dylan Mulvaney controversy
- Climate change in Texas science textbooks causes divisions on state’s education board
- Starbucks sued after California woman says 210-degree hot tea spilled on her in drive-thru
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- U.S. military veterans turn to psychedelics in Mexico for PTSD treatment
- College football coaches' compensation: Washington assistant got nearly $1 million raise
- Argentina’s Peronist machine is in high gear to shore up shaky votes before the presidential runoff
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- 5 tennis players were suspended for match-fixing in a case tied to a Belgian syndicate
Ranking
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Meat made from cells, not livestock, is here. But will it ever replace traditional meat?
- Serena Williams and Ruby Bridges to be inducted into National Women’s Hall of Fame
- Selling the O.C.’s Alex Hall Calls Out Tyler Stanaland After He “Swooned” and “Disappeared” on Her
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Former patients file complaints against Army amid sexual assault investigation of military doctor
- Why Mariah Carey Doesn’t Have a Driver’s License
- Central Park carriage driver charged with animal abuse after horse collapsed and died
Recommendation
Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
Thousands of Starbucks workers go on a one-day strike on one of chain's busiest days
Facing an uncertain future, 70 endangered yellow-legged frogs released in California lake
Soldier, her spouse and their 2 children found dead at Fort Stewart in Georgia
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
College Football Playoff concert series to feature Jack Harlow, Latto and Jon Pardi
US imposes new sanctions over Russian oil price cap violations, Kremlin influence in the Balkans
Dog who survived 72 days in mountains after owner’s death is regaining weight and back on hiking trails