Ruby Franke’s Husband Reveals Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home
Originally appeared on E! Online
Content warning: This story discusses child abuse.
More details continue to emerge about life with Ruby Franke.
The Washington County Attorney's Office in Utah recently released an interview with Kevin Franke—the influencer's estranged husband—conducted after her arrest on child abuse charges in August. While speaking to authorities, Kevin detailed how Ruby expected him to behave while the pair, then separated, were living under the same roof at the end of 2021 and into 2022.
He said it was during this time that Ruby's business partner Jodi Hildebrandt—who was also arrested for child abuse—had moved in with them.
"There were all these rules now placed on me, like I can leave when I want but I couldn't come back until Ruby gave me permission," Kevin explained to authorities. "I couldn't come into the kitchen to eat until Ruby gave me permission and the upstairs where Jodi was was completely offline. I couldn't go upstairs anymore in my own house. And Ruby would dictate all of the terms of how our interactions would be, when we would talk. And that was hard."
He continued, "And it was during that time that I really became, I would say, dependent upon Ruby. Like if she said a kind word to me like my whole day was made."
E! News has previously reached out to Kevin, Ruby and Jodi's lawyers for comment regarding his interview, but has not heard back.
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In the same interview, Kevin also shared how Ruby—with whom he shares six kids—first became involved in what he described as a "religious cult" named ConneXions, which Jodi established as a life coaching service in 2007 and was based on principles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to NBC News.
"My impression at that time was this is absolute craziness," the 45-year-old recalled of the business. "This is a bunch of man-hating women that are just looking for excuses to tear down their husbands."
Kevin said he felt his and Ruby's marriage was getting stronger when they first became enmeshed in ConneXions, before a sudden turn in Jodi's mental state and behavior changed his opinion of the group.
When Jodi subsequently moved in with their family in 2021, Kevin remembered, "[Jodi and Ruby] started sleeping in the same bed. Then [Ruby] started having, like, trances and stuff. I would say it was probably around September where she believed that she was going to heaven and seeing God and Jesus and talking with them."
Eventually, Kevin decided he "wanted to move on with life," and he and Ruby got an "in-home separation" before he filed for divorce this past December. His lawyer said in a September interview the pair had been living apart from for more than a year before Ruby's August arrest.
Ruby and Jodi were ultimately arrested after Ruby's 12-year-old son sought help from a neighbor, leading authorities to find his 10-year-old sister at Ruby's home. Both children were emaciated and in need of care upon their discovery, according to the Washington County Attorney's Office.
In December, both Ruby and Jodi pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse as part of a plea deal, and in February both were sentenced to 30 years in prison—the maximum time for this kind of offense in the state of Utah.
During her sentencing hearing, Ruby shared an impassioned apology to her husband and children.
"For the past four years, I've chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion," the 42-year-old said in court Feb. 20, 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."
Addressing her children, she added, "I would do anything in this world for you. I took from you all that was soft and safe, and good."
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