- Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt appeared via video in court on Friday.
- Their appearance was preceded by chaos in the virtual meeting room where the hearing was streamed.
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt appeared via video in court on Friday — and more than 1,000 users crammed into the Webex hearing to bear witness.
Ahead of the hearing, the at-times chaotic meeting was punctuated with shouts of "shut up," curious calls of "mama," and the partial playing of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion's NSFW "WAP."
Franke, the mommy vlogger who documented life with her six children and husband on the now-shuttered YouTube channel 8 Passengers, and her business partner Hildebrandt who later vlogged on the duo's now-defunct venture ConneXions, were each charged with six felony child abuse counts.
The charges followed Franke and Hildebrandt's arrest on August 30, after Franke's 12-year-old son escaped Hildebrandt's home in Ivins, Utah, through a window and ran to a neighbor's house to ask for food and water, according to a probable cause affidavit seen by Insider.
The neighbors saw the 12-year-old boy had duct tape on his ankles, according to the affidavit, and called the police, who observed "severe" wounds and malnourishment. The boy was then hospitalized.
Later, Franke's 10-year-old daughter was discovered at Hildebrandt's residence. Authorities said she was also malnourished.
The charges against Franke, whose vlogs have long been controversial, appear to have stirred up a frenzy of interest.
Users waited for more than 30 minutes after the scheduled start of the hearing on Friday to see the two appear. During that time they yelled at each other to mute their microphones and turn off their cameras, got into profanity-laced arguments over unmuting to ask others to mute, yelled random words, and played part of the raunchy rap song.
Those in the court hearing meeting were told repeatedly by the St. George, Utah, court to mute themselves.
So many people, including members of the media and other observers, attended the virtual hearing, that presiding Judge Eric Gentry later asked those who were there just for Franke and Hildebrandt to leave because people who needed to appear by video in court that day could not get into the Webex.
Those who did attend the hearing for Franke and Hildebrandt may have been left disappointed, however. The two women's time before the judge was largely administrative and lasted only a few minutes.
Franke will continue to be held without bail. Her attorneys were granted a motion to move the case to a different judge and will file a bail hearing with Judge John Walton. Hildebrandt will also continue to be held without bail.
Judge Gentry set the next hearing for both women on September 21.