The estranged husband of Ruby Franke, the Utah family vlogger convicted of child abuse, alleged that her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, was possessed, according to an interview released last week by prosecutors in Washington County, Utah.Kevin Franke, who filed for divorce from Ruby Franke in November, said he became Hildebrandt’s “resident exorcist” during the time they allowed the former life coach to stay in their house.
The two were arrested in August after police found one of Franke’s sons emaciated with open wounds and bound with duct tape. He had escaped Hildebrandt’s home to a neighbor’s house. One of Franke’s daughters was found in a similar malnourished condition in Hildebrandt’s home.
Both women were sentenced in February to four one- to 15-year terms in prison, served consecutively. Under Utah law, the maximum aggregate sentence for consecutive terms is 30 years.
In the interview, Kevin Franke — who has not been charged with any crimes — said he witnessed Hildebrandt at times “go into possession mode” and “talk in different voices.”
“It was really creepy,” he said, “but the voices would say: ‘She’s ours. We’re not letting go. She is Satan’s bride.’”
Attorneys for Kevin Franke, Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The interview is the latest window into the monthslong child abuse case that became a public spectacle. Last week, the Washington County Attorney’s Office also released Ruby Franke’s heavily redacted handwritten journal entries, which detailed months of abuse.
The Franke family rose to prominence on YouTube, where they amassed 2.3 million subscribers to their now-defunct channel, “8 Passengers.” Ruby Franke’s strict parenting style on the channel had drawn concern from viewers and neighbors in the years before her arrest.
Hildebrandt also faced scrutiny over her life-coaching service, ConneXions, which some former clients have described to…
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