UT - Parenting influencer, Ruby Franke, and blogger/podcast partner Jodi Hildebrandt, arrested for Child Abuse, Aug 2023

[tlcya]

well, if Jodi's neighbors experienced what Ruby's did then I imagine the ladies had a lot of opinions about how her neighbors should be handling their own lives and properties. Recall this came out about Ruby's neighbors in Springville

Neighbors said Franke would insert herself into other neighbors’ lives; one neighbor cited an instance in which Franke gave a sermon-like lecture over what she called “inappropriate” posters of women posing in shorts that were displayed in a garage. Franke kicked her husband, Kevin, out of the home last year, a source with knowledge of their relationship said.
Neighbors say they tried to help Ruby Franke’s kids before YouTuber’s arrest on child abuse charges

 

[lightofmine99]

I seem to remember hearing (like in a video about this case) that neighbors had made calls to CPS before. Maybe I'm confusing this with something else, but I'm really thinking one of the neighbors that rescued R telling the 911 operator that they've been dealing with Ruby/Jodi for a while.

 

[Howl]

I seem to remember hearing (like in a video about this case) that neighbors had made calls to CPS before.

Neighbors in Springville, Utah (location of the Franke family home) made calls to police/CPS when it became apparent that RF was leaving the kids on their own -- no adult -- for long stretches. RF was presumably hanging with Jodi in Ivins, Utah, 260 miles away. Police made at least one visit to the Springville home, but the kids would not answer the door, so they left.

 

[tlcya]

yes, the 911 caller in Jodi's neighborhood who reported R being at his house asking for help said something like "her name is Jodi, we've had problems with her." To my knowledge, the neighbors in Jodi's neighborhood didn't express worries about the children I am guessing because they had no idea they were there.

Meanwhile, neighbors back in Springville, where Ruby's home is located, neighbors had been calling about the children (first the four minor children then later the older two minors) being left alone for days on end unsupervised. I believe it was also reported that one of the adult children of Ruby and Kevin had been contacting LE and CPS about worries for her minor siblings.

Ruby used to leave all four minor children at home for days unsupervised while she would presumably be staying at Jodi's some three hours from her own home. In july she took the two youngest with her to Jodi's and then the older two minor kids were just left to fend for themselves I guess.

 

[Herat]

St. George is gorgeous territory and there are so many beautiful pueblo desert-type homes there. Hildebrandt's huge home has a typical austere exterior that implies thick walls to make cool interior in the desert heat, and privacy.

The entrance way is austere and built to prevent home burglaries as these might be only seasonal homes.

The real interior however, is awfully dark and unkind looking as she kept it. It does look like a fortress or prison inside. I was expecting a much softer look for the home interior, but it keeps the fortress look all along.

It's currently on Zillow for $5.3 million. The glossy home photos do show how it could look in better light, but it's still got a masculine, hard feeling to it.

Luxury Home Tied to Ruby Franke Child Abuse Case Is Listed in Utah for $5.3M

As Ruby Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, awaits her sentence in February, her Utah home is listed for $5.3 million.

www.realtor.com

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

Very suspect system. A search returns a lot of cases out there with allegations of special/preferential treatment for LDS offenders. And light sentences for LDS sex offenders.

I'm a bank attorney, not a criminal one but I find this system of non-judicial sentencing quite unusual. The general legal theory is that it's the role of the Judge to appropriately sentence as they have heard all the evidence, could themselves assess credibility of witnesses etc. and are the official impartial arbiter.

It almost seems to me like a way to "hide" it from public view. Since it's normally done in open court during as part of the trial. I just get a realy "hinky" feeling about this. I am concerned they will both get out much sooner than justice requires.

This is how the Board describes it's decision making. Nice squishy wording that does not impose ANY restrictions on the Boards decision. I see a system ripe for abuse and likely designed to best take advantage of by savvy LDS members who are also criminals. https://bop.utah.gov/board_faqs/

The Board considers the nature and severity of the crime(s) committed, including the harm done to the victim and society, the continued risk posed by the inmate, and the inmate’s behavior and programming efforts while incarcerated. At least three Board Members (constituting a majority) must agree on any release decision.

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

Yeah because they’re eligible for parole after 1 year, on one count, it appears. So then that’s when they find out whether they have three more years to do, on the consecutive counts, or not. Because I doubt they’d give them one year on one count and 15 on another.
I wonder if the public can write into the parole board. I’ve read all her nasty journals now. She whipped her emaciated son who was swollen with infection and had his flesh eaten deeply from his ankles (I saw the unedited photos. He’s could have permanent disability from those wounds). She tormented those kids so horribly, and then was unrepentant only days before her sentencing. She’s evil.

I’m so scared she’s going to get away with it. Those kids are damaged for life from what they went through. To have one’s own parent play such twisted, sick psychological games, causes permanent damage, IMO.

She tortured those kids, claiming that was the way to get the devil out but when they became weak and/or incapable of complying with more torture scenarios, Ruby claimed that was satanic defiance and necessitated more torture.

She and her monster twin were buying land in an even more remote place with tons of cactus so they could torture them more efficiently and without the chance of escape for the kids.

Those children were steps away from death. That was the inevitable outcome of the situation she put them in. It was impossible for them to be able to do anything to satisfy her that more abuse was unnecessary.

Gitana: Do you know if this is a sentencing method utilized in other jurisdictions? I like sunlight on my justice system. Removing it from open court view seems to provide opportunities for preferential treatment.

I spend a bit of time in UT. I live in MA but love the SW and my son is living in SLC. I'm retiring this week & we're heading out there. I have always been fascinated by religion, religious delusions, cults etc. and IMO, I've found/observed that LDS tend to be quite, well, gullible to spiritual abuse. There's always an overriding "doomsday" vibe with the stockpiling. They hear messages from God who directs their day to day interactions and life. It all follows the same general Vallow/Daybell path while stopping short. But it wouldn't have been stopped at all if they had been able to go to AZ and torture those kids in the middle of 500 acres.

I really fear that LDS BOP members will simply swallow that Ruby was "deceived", but she really does LOVE GOD & her children & she's like super sorry JODI did this TO HER. Which is not at all the truth. Ruby was always abusive, enjoys being abusive as demonstrated by the many videos of her self satisfied expression after being abusive to her children. OK, gotta stop now-this is just making me too .

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

Yup, I wonder about this a lot. Speculating here, but I've been wondering if that would be something as simple as the house being used as an Air BnB or Jodi having conferences or meeting with clients or similar, with a lot of people coming and going at the house. That's a high-end neighborhood and the HoA would be pretty extreme. But those kinds of things wouldn't seem to rise to the level of "trouble" or "problems".


Brilliant. While watching the body cam footage of the police approaching the house, I thought they were going around to the back of the house!
I wonder if Jodi bought the house already built or if she designed it.

Here's a bit of information about the Kayenta Development where Jodi's home is located. It's enormous and has been around for 30 years.

Actually, it's on the Kevin Franke interrogation tape I believe. I hadn't been able to view everything easily until I found a Youtuber who had ordered everything in advance & already received it and posted everything. She's also a young mom who's doing this on her "free" time. https://www.youtube.com/@Jessssicadanielle
I found her last night and got a good sequential review of all the statements & evidence. She also has some good insights. I'm NOT her agent. But I did leave a message of support-everyone should have a passion to pursue no matter the limitations.

Oh, this is the video I referenced:

 

[HawthorneJuniper]

I seem to remember hearing (like in a video about this case) that neighbors had made calls to CPS before. Maybe I'm confusing this with something else, but I'm really thinking one of the neighbors that rescued R telling the 911 operator that they've been dealing with Ruby/Jodi for a while.

YES! There were reports including repeated (I believe) attempts by Sherry to get her siblings some help. But since everyone is LDS they just believed the parents. Of course. The LDS involvement also leads me to worry that an appropriate sentence will not ultimately be served.

 

[Izzylizzy]

I wondered about that, too, but she wasn't under arrest.

You don't let the suspect out of your site.
The cop let JH go into the bathroom with her phone and she stayed there about 4 mins.according to the video that I watched.
She could have some out shooting, split her wrists, OD'ed for examples.
They came to arrest both women and you don't have to be under arrest to be cuffed, all that's needed is a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and they already had her abused son and were also looking for his sister.
As I said in another thread,"oh, I forgot, this is Utah, silly me".
Another poster from the East Coast also commented on it too.
We're I came from and hopefully where I'm living now both gals would have been cuffed in a "New York minute."

 

[Izzylizzy]

I think they were looking for farm property to move the kids to in order to increase their "schooling" if you know what I mean.

Watching the bodycam footage I definitely found the design of her home to be extremely weird. I thought, "Yeah I know buildings are different out west but this looks like a military base, not where I would want to raise my kids."

Side note but I can't imagine walking outside to see my backyard being an open desert with vermillion mountains in the distance.

It reminded me of an early James Bond movie.
I found the view beautifully eerie, real eerie.

 

[Cedars]

that second interview blew my mind. Kevin was brainwashed, too. Isolated, buried in criticisms in public, manipulated, repeatedly told he was a liar and just didn't know it (same thing as the kids).... I had much more compassion for him when I heard this. These are standard brainwashing techniques used by e.g. the North Koreans during the Korean war, but other cults, cultures, individuals, etc..

Yes there is a lot in that interview that seems to have not penetrated public awareness: Jodi's mysterious spiritual crisis in spring 2021, complete with trances, visions, exorcisms by a named bishop of the church, dreams such as Jesus giving Jodi lessons on how to walk on water. Jodi seems to have turned especially to Ruby to be her most essential supporter/ acolyte in all this.

It reminds me of the Daybell case: the wanna-be cult leader isolates their most supportive followers, gets rid of the spouse (using the therapeudic relationship rather than a murderous brother), and, literally, demonizes the dependent children, who would otherwise be the primary focus of love and attention for the follower.

Fortunately, in this case there were no deaths, and they both pled guilty so nothing will be laid out at a trial.

I'm not interested in assigning blame - like Chad Daybell saying so-and-so is a 4.3 on the dark scale, versus this other person who is currently at a 3.9 on the dark scale.

I just think it's interesting that cult leaders can emerge even from someone allegedly trained as a therapist, who claims they are using quasi-scientic theories about addiction.

JMO

 

[Observe_dont_Absorb]

You don't let the suspect out of your site.
The cop let JH go into the bathroom with her phone and she stayed there about 4 mins.according to the video that I watched.
She could have some out shooting, split her wrists, OD'ed for examples.
They came to arrest both women and you don't have to be under arrest to be cuffed, all that's needed is a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and they already had her abused son and were also looking for his sister.
As I said in another thread,"oh, I forgot, this is Utah, silly me".
Another poster from the East Coast also commented on it too.
We're I came from and hopefully where I'm living now both gals would have been cuffed in a "New York minute."

Pure speculation on my part but maybe because they didn't have a court order and entered the premises looking for other children under 'exigent circumstances, perhaps they were a little more hesitant to be forceful and use cuffs / deny bathroom visit etc?

How did they know there wasn't a child hidden in the bathroom? Had they already searched and cleared it?

 

[Izzylizzy]

Pure speculation on my part but maybe because they didn't have a court order and entered the premises looking for other children under 'exigent circumstances, perhaps they were a little more hesitant to be forceful and use cuffs / deny bathroom visit etc?

How did they know there wasn't a child hidden in the bathroom? Had they already searched and cleared it?

The cops saw or were aware of R's condition and were told by him that E was also in the house.
A warrant isn't needed to search/detain/cuff/arrest when a child's safety is involved.
In the videos I watched I didn't see the cops clearing zilch.

 

[Herat]

It reminded me of an early James Bond movie.
I found the view beautifully eerie, real eerie.

There are homes all over expensive areas in California ( Joshua Tree area), New Mexico (especially Santa Fe and Taos), Arizona (especially Sedona, Tucson and Phoenix) and the desert areas of Las Vegas and southern Utah that have a very similar design esthetics, with home sites set to take in the gorgeous mountain and desert vistas. They can be quite simple, or real architectural masterpieces. I quite love the concept and designs. As we see here, however, scale and concept are important.

 

[gitana1]

Biographies of the members of the Board of Pardons and Parole. All have varied experience dealing with criminals -- as lawyers, clinicians, LE, parole supervisors -- long exposure to the worst of the worst.

There's no question about what they did: the deteriorated physical condition of the kids, Ruby's diary, Ruby's plea deal to spill the beans on Jodi. Both Ruby and Jodi perverted their respective roles as protectors (Jodi as a psycotherapist and Ruby as a mother) and horribly abused the most vulnerable. On the other hand, Ruby and Jodi are white, well educated Mormon women.

In her allocution Ruby claimed to have recanted the beliefs that led her to torture her children, referring to her Bishop by name.

In her statement to the court, Jodi claims to love the children and wanted to spare them a trial, but does not recant ANYTHING. Refresher from the Salt Lake Tribune READ: Ruby Franke, Jodi Hildebrandt's full sentencing statements.

What I really want to know right now: Are Ruby and Jodi in the same prison area, close enough to have contact with each other?

But how much of the evidence do they see? All I saw was the read a history given by the criminal and letters, the charges, etc.

 

[gitana1]

I'm seriously curious about the public being able to write to the parole board. I know that the convict's potential threat to the public is a consideration. I'm far out of state so of course I couldn't write but people in Utah could. Probably worth looking into.

I will write even if they don’t accept it. I’m in CA. Everyone should write. Flood those people with the facts.

 

[gitana1]

yes, the 911 caller in Jodi's neighborhood who reported R being at his house asking for help said something like "her name is Jodi, we've had problems with her." To my knowledge, the neighbors in Jodi's neighborhood didn't express worries about the children I am guessing because they had no idea they were there.

Meanwhile, neighbors back in Springville, where Ruby's home is located, neighbors had been calling about the children (first the four minor children then later the older two minors) being left alone for days on end unsupervised. I believe it was also reported that one of the adult children of Ruby and Kevin had been contacting LE and CPS about worries for her minor siblings.

Ruby used to leave all four minor children at home for days unsupervised while she would presumably be staying at Jodi's some three hours from her own home. In july she took the two youngest with her to Jodi's and then the older two minor kids were just left to fend for themselves I guess.

I feel like those two had a deeper relationship than just business partners, based on various photos of them together.

 

[gitana1]

Very suspect system. A search returns a lot of cases out there with allegations of special/preferential treatment for LDS offenders. And light sentences for LDS sex offenders.

I'm a bank attorney, not a criminal one but I find this system of non-judicial sentencing quite unusual. The general legal theory is that it's the role of the Judge to appropriately sentence as they have heard all the evidence, could themselves assess credibility of witnesses etc. and are the official impartial arbiter.

It almost seems to me like a way to "hide" it from public view. Since it's normally done in open court during as part of the trial. I just get a realy "hinky" feeling about this. I am concerned they will both get out much sooner than justice requires.

This is how the Board describes it's decision making. Nice squishy wording that does not impose ANY restrictions on the Boards decision. I see a system ripe for abuse and likely designed to best take advantage of by savvy LDS members who are also criminals. https://bop.utah.gov/board_faqs/

Yes! It IS very odd and I’m super worried. Who came up with such a system and why?

 

[gitana1]

Gitana: Do you know if this is a sentencing method utilized in other jurisdictions? I like sunlight on my justice system. Removing it from open court view seems to provide opportunities for preferential treatment.

I spend a bit of time in UT. I live in MA but love the SW and my son is living in SLC. I'm retiring this week & we're heading out there. I have always been fascinated by religion, religious delusions, cults etc. and IMO, I've found/observed that LDS tend to be quite, well, gullible to spiritual abuse. There's always an overriding "doomsday" vibe with the stockpiling. They hear messages from God who directs their day to day interactions and life. It all follows the same general Vallow/Daybell path while stopping short. But it wouldn't have been stopped at all if they had been able to go to AZ and torture those kids in the middle of 500 acres.

I really fear that LDS BOP members will simply swallow that Ruby was "deceived", but she really does LOVE GOD & her children & she's like super sorry JODI did this TO HER. Which is not at all the truth. Ruby was always abusive, enjoys being abusive as demonstrated by the many videos of her self satisfied expression after being abusive to her children. OK, gotta stop now-this is just making me too .

I’ve never heard of this system until now. I think it’s rare and concerning. And I am very worried RF at the least will get away with this. To me, 4 years isn’t close to Justice. But I’m worried she will smile and be fake and they’ll buy it.