KUTV, Salt Lake City: Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were found guilty on all counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse, and as a result, they were sentenced to one to fifteen years in prison each.
The former YouTubers were initially charged with six offences, but two of those counts were dropped as part of two plea agreements with Washington County.
The final decision about how many years of their consecutive sentences will be served in jail will be made by Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole. The maximum length of a consecutively served prison term is 30 years, as stipulated by Utah’s code on concurrent vs. consecutive sentences. There are only two circumstances in which this is not the case: either the convicted party is given a life sentence or the death penalty, neither of which apply in the Franke-Hildebrandt case.
Prior to receiving their sentences, both women made statements.
Franke’s brother and parents, who were unable to attend in person, provided impact statements to the court prior to her statement.
Franke’s brother and parents, who were unable to attend in person, provided impact statements to the court prior to her statement.
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.