Ruby Franke Wanted to Be 'Seen as the Perfect Mom.' She Wound Up Disgraced and Behind Bars

For nearly five years, Ruby Franke shared parenting advice on her YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” chronicling the life of her family of eight in Utah.

With more than 2.5 million subscribers, the Mormon mom caught the attention of the social media world with her strict parenting style.

But viewers grew concerned when Ruby’s punishments became extreme, such as when she openly discussed on camera how she restricted her children’s access to food and to a bed, all to teach them a lesson.

In August 2023, Ruby and Jodi Hildebrandt, Ruby’s podcasting partner, were arrested after Ruby’s 12-year-old son escaped from a window at Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins, Utah, and ran to a neighbor's house, begging for food and water, police said.

Related: Clips Surface of Ruby Franke's Parenting Through the Years — from Withholding Food To Taking Away Beds

In December 2023, the two women pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. They were sentenced in Feb. 2024 to 4 to 60 years in prison.

Now, for the first time ever, Ruby’s husband, Kevin Franke, and their two oldest children, Shari and Chad, are opening up in depth on camera about their family’s ordeal in the new original documentary series on Hulu, Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. (An exclusive trailer is shown below.)

Produced by Passion Pictures, the three-part documentary series is set to debut on Thursday, Feb. 27 on Hulu.

The docuseries goes behind the scenes, featuring exclusive access to the Franke family and their friends and neighbors, as well as hours of unseen footage.

Related: Where Is Ruby Franke’s Eldest Daughter Shari Franke Now? Inside Her Life After Surviving Child Abuse (and Why She’ll Never Raise Kids in the Public Eye)

In the trailer for the docuseries, shown exclusively on PEOPLE, Kevin talks about how his wife became an influencer.

“My wife Ruby’s sole ambition was to be seen as the perfect mom, and so she decided to create a YouTube channel and we became ‘8 Passengers,’” he explains.

Shari adds, “Our entire schedule revolved around YouTube. It felt more like a set than a house.”

The docuseries shows the family pulling back the curtain on their seemingly perfect lives, revealing what was really going on. Ruby, says son Chad, “just wanted to show the view of a Mormon happy family, but they only saw what we wanted to show them.”

Related: Where Are Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt Now? The Details Behind the Shocking Case That Inspired Lifetime’s Mormon Mom Gone Wrong

Ruby is seen in one video clip screaming at the children, “Sit her down on the flipping couch!”

In another clip, she yells, “Move it! If I hear one more word,  get out!”

Adds Shari: “What Ruby has done, it just crossed a line from abusive to just psychotic.”

The family’s ordeal only gets worse when Hildebrand comes into their lives.

“The devil knocked and we opened the door,” says Kevin.

Hildebrand, who was a therapist, “ would prey on the weak,” says Chad. “She was excellent at exploiting Mormon anxiety.”

When Hildebrand moved into the family’s home, “Weird things started happening,” Kevin reveals.

“Ruby said the children were demonically possessed. That was the spark that blew the powder keg.”

The trailer features video of Franke’s son knocking on the neighbor’s door with audio of the neighbor calling 911.

“I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door. He's got duct taped around each ankle,” he said. “He's obviously covered in wounds.”

Asked if he would “stand up to say this is nonsense,” Kevin replies, “If I dwell on that question, it eats me alive.”

Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke will premiere on Thursday, Feb. 27 on Hulu. It will also be available via Hulu on Disney+ for Bundle subscribers.

Read the original article on People