Kevin Franke who divorced Ruby Franke last November claimed that he was Hildebrandt’s “resident exorcist” during the period when they let the former life coach stay at their home.
In August, police arrested the two after finding one of Franke’s sons with open wounds. He was also bound with duct tape. He had fled Hildebrandt to a neighboring house. Franke’s daughter was also found in the same malnourished state in Hildebrandt’s house.
In February, both women were sentenced to consecutive prison terms of one to fifteen years. According to Utah law, a maximum of 30 years is the maximum cumulative sentence for consecutive sentences.
Kevin Franke, who is not charged with any crime, said that he saw Hildebrandt “go into possession mode,” and “talk in a different voice” at times.
He said: “It was creepy, but the voices would say ‘She is ours. We won’t let go. She is Satan’s wife.”
Requests for comment from the attorneys of Kevin Franke, Ruby Franke, and Hildebrandt were not immediately responded to.
This interview provides a new look at the child abuse case, which has been a public spectacle for months. The Washington County Attorney’s Office released Ruby Franke’s handwritten journals, heavily redacted, last week. They detailed months of abuse.
Ruby Franke, a mother of eight, was arrested for allegedly violating the terms and conditions of her YouTube channel “8 Passengers”.
Hildebrandt was also criticized for her life-coaching program, ConneXions. Former clients have described it as a program that isolated them from their loved ones and destroyed relationships.
Kevin Franke shared with authorities the timeline of the events that led to Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke becoming close.
He said that he became involved with ConneXions after his wife and one of her closest friends, convinced him to join the men’s group which met weekly with Hildebrandt. He said that for a time, the meetings helped strengthen their marriage.
He said that in March 2021 Hildebrandt told her inner circle she believed she was “being tormented and hounded by shadow figures each night”. By mid-April, Hildebrandt reached out to Ruby Franke to ask for help.
He told investigators that Ruby was “convinced” we could help Jodi. “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
Kevin Franke told the couple that he first visited Hildebrandt in May 2021. She opened up about her struggles. He noticed that “plates were flying off the table in the kitchen while we were upstairs talking and there was a crash in the basement.”
He said that he reluctantly agreed to bring Hildebrandt home with him and Ruby Franke. He claimed to have seen Hildebrandt enter trances.
He said, “As soon as she arrived at my home, the strangest things started happening. Lights turning on and off; sounds of footsteps going up walls, across ceilings, and up walls. And stuff was floating around.” It was strange and I hated that. “And I became the resident Exorcist.”
He claimed that Ruby Franke began going into trances in September 2021. She allegedly thought she was speaking to God and Jesus from heaven. He said she and Hildebrandt locked themselves in a small room for several hours and then Ruby Franke told him about the visions that God gave her and what work God called them to.
Kevin Franke said he became more suspicious as Ruby Franke grew closer to Hildebrandt. He said that this prompted Ruby Franke in July 2022 to request a separation. He told investigators that after he left, each week became a “psychological Hell.”
“The only thing that would allow me to return home was if I got Jodi’s approval. If I didn’t get Jodi’s approval. “I would never receive Ruby’s consent,” he said.
He said: “As I look back, I realize there was no solution. You either had Jodi’s approval, or you didn’t.” She became God’s mouthpiece, he continued, as she became the arbiter for truth and forgiveness.
Randy Kester, Kevin Franke’s attorney, told TODAY.com in October of last year that the Frankes were separated “at Ruby’s directive” just before Kevin Franke filed divorce papers.
Kester stated that Kevin did not wish to be separated. Kester said that Kevin wanted to resolve his concerns with the family. There was no formal written agreement for separate maintenance or a separation. “Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt prescribed the terms of separation.”
Ruby Franke’s lawyers said that when she filed for divorce, she was “devastated”. However, they also stated that she respected Kevin Franke and understood his reasoning.
Ruby Franke’s lawyers said that Hildebrandt had “systematically isolated her” from her family for a long time, which led her to develop a “distorted morality” due to Hildebrandt.
Ruby Franke stated at her sentencing that she had “followed counsel and guidance for the past four years, which has led me to a dark delusion.” “My distorted view of reality was largely unchecked because I isolated myself from anyone who challenged my beliefs.”
Hildebrandt gave a short statement to the court at the time of sentencing.
She said, “I want [the children] both physically and mentally to heal.” “I did not attend the trial because I didn’t want the children to have to relive their emotional experience. That would have been harmful to them.” “My hope and prayer is for them to heal and have beautiful lives.”
