Newly released jailhouse phone calls are shedding more light on the mindset and behavior of “8 Passengers” YouTuber Ruby Franke, ABC4 reports.
The 42-year-old Utah woman was sentenced in February to at least four years in prison for child abuse, although she could serve up to 30 years.
Franke and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in August when one of Hildebrandt’s neighbors called police to report that a child had come to them asking for food and water and that the child had duct tape on their wrists and ankles.
Officers determined that the child belonged to Franke and had escaped Hildebrandt’s home. Inside, police found another one of Franke’s children in an emaciated condition.
This week, prosecutors released a trove of records related to the case, including copies of Franke’s journal and calls she made to various people while behind bars between August and December.
In one conversation in August, Franke asked her husband whether her case was getting attention. “Are we in the news?” Franke asked, according to the television station.
Her husband, Kevin, responded: “It sounds like that at least you’re in the news. I don’t know about me.”
“This is a witch hunt!” Franke responded. “’The devil has been after me for years.”
“Adults have a really hard time understanding that children can be full of evil, and what that takes to fight it,” Franke can be heard telling Kevin that same day, according to the audio obtained by Law&Crime.
Franke also commented on Hildebrandt. In September, Franke claimed she and Hildebrandt were “misunderstood.” By December, Franke referred to Hildebrandt as “mentally ill.”
Many of the calls have religious overtones. In one instance, in September, she said that God’s spirit told her that her children would be removed.
“God told me I’m done,” Franke can be heard saying in the call. “Satan has taken everything away from me that I love. And I’m a good woman. I don’t do naughty things.”
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[Feature Photo: Franke and her children/Instagram]
