Jodi Hildebrandt was a counselor when she entered the life of Ruby Franke, once a popular family YouTuber.
The two women are now both serving up to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to four felony counts of aggravated child abuse.
Franke, 43, who ran the once-popular “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, was sentenced in February 2024 to between four and 30 years in prison.
Franke’s associate, mental health counselor Jodi Hildebrandt, 55, was also sentenced to between four and 30 years in prison.
A new Hulu documentary, “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke,” takes a fresh look at Franke and Hildebrandt’s story. The three-part docuseries includes interviews with Franke’s eldest children, Shari and Chad, and her husband, Kevin, who filed for divorce in 2023.
Who is Jodi Hildebrandt?
Hildebrandt ran a life-coaching business called ConneXions, which focused on “empowering people by educating them with the principles of Truth” and helping them “dispose of distortion’s ugly lies,” according to the still-active ConneXions website.
Hildebrandt focused on counseling Mormon couples and families, NBC News reported.
The ConneXions website still lists Hildebrandt and Franke as members of its business team, and describes Franke in her bio as a “certified mental fitness trainer with ConneXions.”
One of Hildebrandt’s former patients, Stephanie Jones, described ConneXions as “cult-like” in an interview with NBC News.
“(Hildebrandt) didn’t want you talking to anyone else about your problem. She wanted you talking to people that were also living in truth,” Jones told NBC News in 2023. “She wanted everything to stay in the group. You’re not allowed to have a different opinion than her.”
In January 2012, Hildebrandt’s license to practice as a counselor in Utah was placed on probation for 18 months for a series of violations.
According to Utah Division of Professional Licensing documents reviewed by TODAY.com, Hildebrandt repeatedly disclosed “sensitive private information” about her clients to their church clergy and other mental health therapists, without their consent.
Her license was reinstated in 2013.
Hildebrandt began counseling the Franke family, then moved into the family home. She and Franke were accused of “causing or permitting serious physical injury to the victims in three different ways: (1) a combination of multiple physical injuries or torture, (2) starvation or malnutrition that jeopardizes life, and (3) causing severe emotional harm,” the Office of the Washington County Attorney said in a news release on Sept. 1, 2023.
Keep reading to learn more about where Franke and Hildebrandt are now, and when the length of their prison sentences will be decided.
Where is Jodi Hildebrandt now?
Hildebrandt is currently held at the Utah State Correctional Facility in the Dell building for the women’s general population, where Franke is also incarcerated.
Like Franke, Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four second-degree felony counts of aggravated child abuse.
The former counselor received the same sentence as Franke, and was sentenced in February 2024 to four consecutive prison terms to last between one and 15 years each. The maximum total time she can serve under Utah law is 30 years.
Hildebrandt’s sentencing hearing is also scheduled for December 2026, according to records from the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.
The former counselor is expected to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy and a mental health evaluation prior to this review.
At a sentencing hearing, prosecutor Eric Clarke said that while Franke appeared willing to accept responsibility for what she had done, Hildebrandt had shown “little to no remorse for her actions” and called her “a significant threat to the community.”
“In telephone conversations that will be provided in full to the Board of Pardons and Parole — and which she knew to be recorded — she’s repeatedly claimed that she is the victim and the children are the perpetrators,” he said.
He also shared his belief that Hildebrandt should serve more than her minimum possible sentence of four years.
“I hope that Jodi serves more time than that and I hope that she isn’t out of prison until everybody is completely confident that she’s no longer a risk,” he said in remarks outside the courtroom. “And to get there, she’s going to have to acknowledge that she has done wrong and that you can’t use religion as a means to justify your crazy behavior.”
At her sentencing hearing, Hildebrandt talked about Ruby Franke’s kids.