Former YouTube family vlogger Ruby Franke detailed months of child abuse in handwritten journal entries released by prosecutors.
Ruby Franke repeatedly insisted that her son was possessed by a demon. She wrote about an incident where she pushed her son into water and held her hand over his nose and mouth to help him.
She also described how she forced one of her daughters to stand in the rain for hours as punishment.
Ruby Franke, a former YouTube family vlogger from Utah who was sentenced last month on child abuse charges, detailed months of abuse in handwritten journal entries released by prosecutors Friday. In the heavily redacted entries, Franke repeatedly insisted that her son was possessed by a demon. She wrote about an incident where she pushed her son into water and held her hand over his nose and mouth to help him.
She also described how she forced one of her daughters to stand in the rain for hours as punishment. Ruby Franke received four separate prison sentences of one to 15 years each.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December.
Hildebrandt also pleaded guilty to four counts.
One video released by the attorney's office on Friday shows Franke's 12-year-old son knocking on a neighbor's door requesting food and water after climbing out of the window of Hildebrandt's home.
The boy was taken to the hospital due to deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and malnourishment.
Franke's handwritten journal details months of abuse inflicted on her children, including making them stand and sleep outdoors, do wall sits, shaving the girl's head at times, and withholding water or oxygen.
The attorney's office wrote that Satanic choices lead one to becoming destitute even in affluent homes.
Franke was sentenced to four separate prison sentences of one to 15 years each for child abuse.
Jodi Hildebrandt received the same sentence as Ruby Franke.
Accuracy
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse in August 2023.
Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in December, while Hildebrandt also pleaded guilty to four counts.
One video released by the attorney's office on Friday shows Franke's 12-year-old son knocking on a neighbor's door requesting food and water after climbing out of the window of Hildebrandt's home.
Franke's handwritten journal details months of abuse inflicted on her children, including making them stand and sleep outdoors, do wall sits, shaving the girl's head at times, and withholding water or oxygen.
Franke and Hildebrandt were sentenced to four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in a Utah prison in February, but because of Utah's indeterminate sentencing laws, the length of their sentence is now overseen by the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
CNN previously reported that Ruby Franke pleaded not guilty to two counts as part of a plea deal to testify against her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author uses sensationalist language such as 'horrific abuse' and 'deep lacerations', which are not supported by any evidence presented in the article. Secondly, the author quotes a witness account that describes Ruby Franke's son asking to be taken to the police station after being abused, but does not provide any context or explanation for why this would be necessary. Thirdly, the author uses selective reporting by only mentioning two of Ruby Franke's six initial charges and omitting any information about her plea deal with prosecutors. Finally, the article is deceptive in its portrayal of Ruby Franke as a religious extremist who inflicted abuse on her children for religious reasons, when there is no evidence presented to support this claim.
The author uses sensationalist language such as 'horrific abuse' and 'deep lacerations', which are not supported by any evidence presented in the article. For example:
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the Washington County Attorney's Office released videos and documents related to Ruby Franke's child abuse case. This statement implies that the information is trustworthy because it comes from a reputable source, but this does not necessarily mean that the evidence presented in these materials is accurate or reliable. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric by describing Franke as having
The neighbor's witness account details how the boy “requested food and water” after which the neighbor contacted 911 and noted duct tape around the child's ankles and wrists. This example demonstrates a false dilemma fallacy, as it presents only two options for Ruby Franke: either she was not abusing her children or she was malnourishing them.
Franke writes in one entry dated July 11, “[R] is defiant. No.’ I tell him a couple more times. [R] or his demon stays in the shade.” This example demonstrates an appeal to emotion fallacy, as it uses language that elicits strong emotions (defiance and darkness) without providing any evidence to support these claims.
The attorney's office writes in their case summary that Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were each sentenced to four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in a Utah prison. This example demonstrates an appeal to authority fallacy, as it presents the sentence as if it is definitive without providing any evidence or context for why these specific sentences were handed down.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains several examples of bias that indicate the author's religious extremism and her belief in Satanic choices. The author uses phrases like 'demon stays in the shade', 'Satanic choices lead one to becoming destitute', and 'he needs God' to imply a negative judgment on the child who defied her orders. She also quotes herself as saying that she invited him to fast and pray, which suggests that she is imposing her religious views on him. These examples show that the author is using deception and fallacies to manipulate the reader's perception of the situation and justify her abusive actions.
He is defiant. ‘No.’ I tell him a couple more times. [R] or I should say, his demon stays in the shade.”
I invited him to fast [and] pray.
The women appeared to fully believe that the abuse they inflicted was necessary to teach the children how to properly repent for imagined ‘sins’ and to cast the evil spirits out of their bodies,
Site
Conflicts
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None Found At Time Of
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Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of religious extremism as they are reporting on Ruby Franke who is known for her views and actions related to this topic. The article also mentions Jodi Hildebrandt who was convicted of aggravated child abuse in 2018, which could be another potential conflict.
The author reports that Ruby Franke's son was found hiding in a closet with bruises and cuts on his body. This suggests that the boy may have been subjected to physical abuse by Ruby Franke.
Ruby Franke repeatedly insisted in her journal entries that her son was possessed by a demon.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested in August 2023 and pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree aggravated child abuse after police found one of Franke's sons emaciated with open wounds and bound with duct tape. One of Franke's daughters was also found in a similar condition.
The family became known for its popular YouTube channel <8 Passengers> where Ruby documented her life with her husband and their six children. The channel had more than 2 million subscribers before it ended.
Accuracy
In July 11, 2023 entry Ruby wrote that it was a big day for evil and described an incident where she pushed her son into water and held her hand over his nose and mouth. She did this to help the boy.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author's use of sensationalist language such as 'big day for evil' and 'manipulative' creates a false sense of urgency and moral outrage without providing any evidence to support these claims. Secondly, the author quotes Ruby Franke describing her son being pushed into water and holding his hand over his nose and mouth as a way to help him, which is clearly not true given that this action was found by police to be abusive. Thirdly, the article uses selective reporting by only focusing on two of Ruby Franke's six children in the journal entries released. This creates an incomplete picture of her actions and motivations without providing context for why these particular children were chosen.
Ruby Franke describing her son being pushed into water and holding his hand over his nose and mouth as a way to help him, despite this action being found by police to be abusive.
The article only focuses on two of Ruby Franke's six children in the journal entries released, creating an incomplete picture without providing context for why these particular children were chosen.
The author's use of sensationalist language such as 'big day for evil' and 'manipulative', which is not supported by evidence,
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author repeatedly uses the phrase 'big day for evil' to describe Ruby Franke's actions, which is an example of a loaded term that carries emotional weight and may be used to manipulate readers. Additionally, the author quotes Ruby Franke describing her son as possessed by a demon and using this information to justify her abuse of him. This is an example of false cause fallacy where one event (possession) is incorrectly attributed as the cause for another event (abuse). The article also contains examples of appeal to authority, where the author quotes Ruby Franke's statements without providing any context or evidence to support them. Finally, there are several instances in which Ruby Franke describes her actions as necessary to teach her children how to properly repent and cast out evil spirits from their bodies. This is an example of a false dilemma fallacy where the author presents only two options (teaching children about sin or not) when in reality there may be other alternatives.
The use of the phrase 'big day for evil' to describe Ruby Franke's actions is an example of a loaded term that carries emotional weight and may be used to manipulate readers.
Ruby Franke describes her son as possessed by a demon and uses this information to justify her abuse of him, which is an example of false cause fallacy where one event (possession) is incorrectly attributed as the cause for another event (abuse).
The author quotes Ruby Franke's statements without providing any context or evidence to support them, which is an example of appeal to authority.
Ruby Franke describes her actions as necessary to teach her children how to properly repent and cast out evil spirits from their bodies, which is an example of false dilemma fallacy where the author presents only two options (teaching children about sin or not) when in reality there may be other alternatives.
Bias
(85%)
The author uses language that dehumanizes the children and portrays Ruby Franke as a religious extremist. The author also quotes from Ruby Franke's journal entries in which she describes her son being pushed into water and holding his hand over his nose and mouth to help him. This is an example of physical abuse, but it is presented as if it was done with good intentions.
Ruby Franke repeatedly insisted that her son was possessed by a demon.
Franke inflicted harrowing months-long abuse on her two young children she believed were possessed by the devil. The abuse included starving, shaving heads, subjecting to manual labor in desert heat while barefoot, dousing with dirty mop water and forcing wall sits for hours.
In an entry July 10th Franke wrote that it was a big day for evil before describing how she pushed her son into a pool holding his nose and mouth to help him.
Franke continued to attack her son writing that he is compulsive liar and admitting she never would have suspected the cold dead heart he has.
In other entries Franke describes her 10-year-old daughter as manipulative and how she forced her to stand in the rain for hours. She also wrote that she doused little girl with dog wash water for complaining about not eating days.
Accuracy
Ruby Franke inflicted harrowing months-long abuse on her two young children she believed were possessed by the devil. The abuse included starving, shaving heads, subjecting to manual labor in desert heat while barefoot, dousing with dirty mop water and forcing wall sits for hours.
Franke repeatedly insisted in her journal entries that her son was possessed by a demon.
Deception
(95%)
The article is highly deceptive as it presents Ruby Franke's diary entries in a way that makes her seem like an innocent mother who was simply documenting family life. However, the articles reveal that she inflicted horrific abuse on her two young children for months and believed they were possessed by demons. The article also fails to disclose sources or provide any evidence of Ruby Franke's guilt beyond prosecutors allegations.
Prosecutors allege that in addition to starving her kids, Franke and her business partner shaved their heads, subjected them to manual labor in the desert heat while barefoot, doused them in dirty mop water,
Ruby Franke wrote in one July entry about her 12-year-old son, 'I will not feed a demon,'
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the prosecutor's statement that religious extremism motivated Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt to inflict child abuse. This is not a formal fallacy but it does suggest bias on the part of the author towards this interpretation.
The investigation found that religious extremism motivated Ms. Franke and Ms. Hildebrandt to inflict this horrific abuse.
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article is Pilar Melendez and she has a history of writing controversial articles. The title mentions Ruby Franke's diary which implies that the content will be biased towards her actions. In this case, there are multiple examples of bias found in the text.
Franke and her business partner shaved the kids’ heads, subjected them to manual labor in the desert heat while barefoot, doused them in dirty mop water, forced them to perform wall sits for hours, and denied them beds to sleep in.
Franke continued to attack her son, writing that he is a ωcompulsive liar㳭 and admitting that she 㲚never would have suspected the cold, dead heart [he] has.⟢
In an entry the next day she wrote that it was a 'big day for evil' before describing how she pushed her son into a pool—while holding his nose and mouth—to help him.
In other entries, Franke describes her 10-year-old daughter as ζmanipulativeξ and how she forced her to stand in the rain for hours. She also wrote that she 㲚doused⟢ the little girl with dog wash water for complaining about not eating for days.
Ruby Franke wrote in one July entry about her 12-year-old son: 'I will not feed a demon,' Ruby Franke wrote
The investigation into Franke began in August after her malnourished and bruised 12-year-old son escaped through a window and knocked on nearby homes until a neighbor answered. The boy then asked a neighbor to take him to the nearest police station.
Site
Conflicts
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Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
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Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Pilar Melendez has a conflict of interest on the topics of Ruby Franke and child abuse as she is reporting on her own personal experience with Jodi Hildebrandt who was abused by Kevin Franke. Additionally, Pilar's affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may also influence her coverage.
Pilar Melendez writes about Ruby Franke and the abuse she suffered at the hands of Jodi Hildebrandt in a personal blog post. She states that she has known Jodi for years and is deeply saddened by what happened to her.
Ruby Franke was sentenced to multiple years in prison for four convictions of aggravated child abuse.
Franke's journal entries reveal the extent of her abuse towards her children, particularly two redacted children (E and R).
In an early entry dated July 11, 2023, Franke wrote about a day when she pushed her son into the sun and later harmed him with a cactus.
Franke detailed putting her hands in her daughter's face to ask if she had heard someone talk underwater.
Accuracy
Ruby Franke pushed her son into the sun and later harmed him with a cactus.
Deception
(90%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author does not disclose their sources and only quotes from Ruby Franke's journal entries without providing any context or background information about her. Secondly, the author selectively reports on certain instances of abuse while ignoring others that are equally disturbing. For example, they mention Ruby Franke pushing her son into a pool and putting mop water on him but do not report on other incidents where she harmed her children with physical violence or starved them for days. Thirdly, the author uses sensationalist language such as
<br>I poke him on the neck. He is in a trance <br>and doesn't appear to feel anything.
Ruby Franke pushed her son into a pool.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority. The author uses strong language such as 'big day for evil' and 'manipulates me' to create a sense of urgency and danger. They also use quotes from the journal entries without context, which can be misleading or manipulative.
The article contains several examples of inflammatory rhetoric
The author uses strong language such as 'big day for evil'
Bias
(85%)
The article contains several examples of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the children and portrays Ruby Franke as a monster who deserves punishment. The author also quotes from Ruby Franke's journal entries in an attempt to make her appear more evil than she actually is.
Ruby Franke appears at a hearing on Dec. 18, 2023. Photo: Ron Chaffin/St. George News via AP
The article describes Ruby Franke as a monster who deserves punishment
The author uses language that dehumanizes the children and portrays them as victims of abuse
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