FORMER YouTube stars Ruby Franke and her ex-husband, Kevin, were once known for their vlogging channel, 8 Passengers.
On February 20, the mother of six was sentenced to up to 60 years in prison for "concentration camp-like" child abuses.
Who is Ruby Franke's ex-husband, Kevin?
Kevin Franke and his estranged wife, Ruby Franke, first began documenting their lives as parents to six children through their YouTube channel 8 Passengers in January 2015.
At it's peak, the channel had hit 2.5 million followers - before being shut down.
By 2020 concern had mounted over the Mormon family's strict household and numerous followers pleaded with child protection services to investigate.
Although Kevin featured in many of the YouTube videos, he was not charged with any crimes when his wife was arrested on August 30, 2023.
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Kevin's lawyer Randy Kester has described his client as a gentle person who had no involvement in the abuses against his children.
The father of six claims the pair were separated prior to her arrest, but he has since filed from divorce and is hoping to regain custody of his children.
He has also stated that he wants his ex-wife to get the maximum prison sentence possible.
“The treatment these children received at the hands of those whom the children had a right to trust was horrific and inhumane, both physically and psychologically,” his lawyer added.
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“Kevin remains focused on the rehabilitation of these sweet and vulnerable children so that they might return to a normal life as soon as possible."
In the past, Kevin reportedly worked as an assistant professor of civil engineering at Brigham Young University.
However, since he has tended to keep away from the spotlight, his current professional career is unclear.
Who is Ruby Franke?
The former 8 Passengers host, Ruby Franke, ran the channel until it was mysteriously taken down in 2022.
Pressure to investigate Franke rose out of the documentation of her intense disciplinary methods.
Back in 2020, one of the Franke children revealed he had been sleeping on a bean bag for several months.
It then emerged that Franke resorted to methods of control like withholding food, threatening to behead stuffed toys, and even sending one of her children to a camp for troubled teens.
In 2022, Ruby and Kevin Franke separated, and Kevin moved out of the house.
Ruby Franke created a parent counseling service, ConneXions, with her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, shortly after the separation.
The program promised to "to help you flourish in your relationships" and "dispose of distortion’s ugly lies in order to live in Truth, connection, and freedom."
Hildebrandt purportedly played a hand in the Franke's separation, with Kevin's lawyer telling People that she ordered them to split as "they were enabling one another."
Hildebrandt also reportedly advised that Kevin cut off communication with his family.
"Ruby Franke was only allowed to contact Kevin three or four times," the lawyer said.
In November 2023, Kevin Franke filed for divorce.
When was Ruby Franke arrested?
On August 30, 2023, Franke was arrested, and on September 1 of the same year she was charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The U.S. Sun that she had been arrested alongside Hildebrandt.
Police said the pair were taken into custody for "intentionally or knowingly committing aggravated child abuse."
The arrests followed the escape of Franke's 12-year-old son.
He had climbed through a window in Hildebrandt's house to beg a neighboring house for food and water.
Neighbors described him as emaciated, and having deep wounds from where he had been tied up with a rope.
Following the arrests, emergency services found Franke's 10-year-old daughter in the house, similarly malnourished , and both children were taken to hospital.
It later emerged that the boy said cayenne pepper and honey was used to "treat" his wounds.
On Monday, December 18, 2023, Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree child abuse.
Ahead of the hearing, Franke's attorneys released a statement on her behalf, saying the former YouTuber was "a devoted mother who, unfortunately, was led astray."
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Her sentencing hearing began in February 2024.
On February 20, she was sentenced to up to 60 years in prison.
