A pediatrician from Louisville, KY, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of murder-for-hire and aiding and abetting interstate stalking.
Stephanie M. Russell, 53, a pediatrician and owner of KidzLife Pediatrics in Norton Commons, Louisville, KY, entered a guilty plea on the same day her jury trial was scheduled to commence, according to court records and U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky.
The charges stem from a July 2021 incident in which Russell sought to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband, R.C., during a contentious custody battle. Russell allegedly solicited multiple KidzLife employees to find someone willing to commit the murder, and later agreed to pay $7,000, with half due up front, for the hitman to carry out the crime.
Russell was caught on surveillance video leaving $3,500 in a specimen box outside the KidzLife building for the hitman to retrieve. The FBI arrested Russell the next day. Further, Russell aided and abetted interstate stalking of her ex-husband between December 1, 2018, and August 9, 2019, using a burner phone and encouraging J.S. to harass R.C.
Russell’s guilty plea includes two counts of using a facility in interstate commerce, or causing another person to travel in interstate commerce, in the attempted murder-for-hire of her ex-husband, as well as aiding and abetting interstate stalking of her ex-husband.
Russell is scheduled for sentencing on July 31, 2024.
According to the indictment, Russell used a telephone and a facility of interstate commerce in the attempted murder-for-hire of her ex-husband, R.C.
In recorded telephone conversations with the purported hitman, Russell expressed a desire for her ex-husband to be ‘completely gone from my life,’ and agreed to pay $7,000 for the hitman to carry out the crime.
Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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