Ruby Franke‘s estranged husband, Kevin Franke, defended his ongoing love for her — despite her being arrested on child abuse charges.
During Hulu’s three-part docuseries Devil in the Family, which premiered on Thursday, February 27, Kevin, 46, was asked whether he still loved Ruby, 43, to which he replied, “Definitely. I always loved her.”
A producer off screen followed up by asking if Kevin still felt the same way “even though she abused the kids.” Kevin stood by his initial statement, adding, “Oh, yeah. The actions that she did are atrocious. But I still feel a longing and I miss her.”
Kevin continued: “All of the delivery rooms and all of the moments holding our children. It is easy for the world to hate that woman and so many people want me to join in that chorus and I cannot turn off all of those other memories.”
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Despite Ruby currently serving time for harming their children, Kevin couldn’t forget the highlights from their marriage.
“This really is a story of love and of hope and of family. But this is also a story of deception and of control,” he noted. “Ultimately it is a story of faith. If you put your faith in the wrong hands, you can lose everything.”
Ruby and Kevin rose to stardom after she started a YouTube channel in 2015 that documented their adventures with their six children. The former couple’s eldest kids — Shari and Chad — are the only ones who have chosen to stay in the spotlight while the others preferred to remain private after being the focus of daily vlogs that showcased Ruby’s days as a stay-at-home mom.
In 2023, Ruby and her friend Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested and charged with six counts of felony child abuse. The arrest came after Ruby’s youngest son, who was 12 years old at the time, escaped out of a window in their home and ran to a neighbor’s house where he asked for food and water. Authorities noticed that the child was malnourished and had duct tape on his ankles and wrists.
According to the arrest report, Franke’s son was taken to a hospital and admitted on a medical hold due to “his deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and from his malnourishment.” The residence that the child escaped from belonged to Hildebrandt, who opened the counseling business ConneXions Classroom.
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Ruby pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse in December 2023 and admitted she tortured her children. As part of her plea deal, she agreed to serve a prison term and agreed that her sentences would run consecutively. She also agreed to testify against Hildebrandt, who pleaded guilty.
“I took from you all that was soft, and safe, and good,” Ruby said ahead of her sentencing in 2024. “I took from you your mother. How terrifying this must have been for you. I will never stop crying for hurting your tender souls. You’re so precious to me. I’m sorry.”
Kevin broke his silence in Hulu’s true crime doc about coming to terms with Ruby’s actions. (Kevin had moved out of the home before Ruby and Hildebrandt started to abuse the youngest children. He has since filed for divorce from Ruby and is seeking custody.)
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“Little by little, I was accepting the idea that Ruby and Jodi had done something awful,” he recalled. “I feel angry when I think about that. I absolutely feel guilty. I was the last line of defense for these children and I packed my bags and walked away.”
Kevin said he didn’t know how to accept this version of his estranged wife. “I found it very difficult to look at Ruby [in the courtroom] so I chose not to,” he added. “To hear this woman — that I had worshiped — admit to destroying our family, that hurt.”
Devil in the Family noted that Ruby and Hildebrandt did not respond to a request for comment on new allegations made in the docuseries.
To report child abuse, consult the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Welfare Information Gateway for state-specific reporting phone numbers.
