Ruby Franke's ex-husband Kevin Franke is focused on his new life since his ex's arrest — with a new wife. This week, six months after finalizing his divorce, Kevin announced that he is engaged to fiancée Becca Bevan, and planning to marry her next month. His ex-wife, the disgraced family YouTuber, 43, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence, after she and the family's therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, 55, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to felony child abuse involving two of the former's six children with her estranged husband. The former couple's six children, who featured in the YouTube channel 8 passengers, are daughters Shari, Abby, Julie and Eve, and sons Chad and Russell.
In a post on Facebook, Kevin first shared: "A lot has transpired since I've been on Facebook several months ago," before confirming: "I am thrilled to announce my engagement to a wonderful and amazing woman Becca Bevan. We are planning a simple wedding November 14 here in Springville, [Utah] with family."
Kevin then reflected on coming out of the traumatic few years that he has had between his ex-wife's scandal, the abuse of his children, and the divorce. "I just wanted to share my happy news with all of you my friends. Redemption is a real thing. There were moments during the past three years when I didn’t think I would ever feel happiness or the warm embrace of a loving partner again," he said.
"I'm so grateful for grace, resilience, a loving God who gives me hope, and family and friends that buoyed me when I couldn't stand on my own. Thank you, All! Here's to new beginnings and fresh starts!" the post concluded, followed by engagement portraits of the happy couple, with details of their wedding date and where donations can be sent to.
Earlier this year, Kevin and his son Chad opened up for the first time since Ruby's sentencing about where they stand with her. "I definitely hate the things she did," Chad, her eldest son, told People, noting: "I feel like I'm also a very lighthearted person in a sense where I would never wish someone to have a bad life."
"What I really hope is that from here she becomes a better person and that she works on that, and she truly tries to change," he maintained, before sharing that he has "no contact with her and I don't plan to anytime soon," though added: "But then again, she's still blood."
"She's still my mom and maybe down the road, eventually I'll have a conversation with her, and maybe eventually have a relationship where we can just talk but when it comes to her actually being a mom and then eventually a grandma, I don't think I'll ever have that kind of close relationship again," he continued. "It's hard of course," he relented, though added: "But when I go home, I feel like no one is missing, I don't really feel like, 'I wish mom was here.' I don't really have those feelings really at all."
"It doesn't feel wrong not having her in my home and that's okay. So I feel like I'm in a good spot even though she's not here," he confessed, as Kevin revealed: "The last letter that I received from her from prison was maybe in March or April of last year and then I requested The Department of Corrections to ask her to stop writing me … I didn't want to hear anymore. I didn't like what she was saying — and I'm not going to share that, that's between her and me — but it just didn't feel right. It didn't feel good. And I'm very angry. I'm still very angry. And I need space and I need time."