Pediatrician pleads guilty in attempted murder-for-hire of ex-husband
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Louisville pediatrician pleaded guilty to charges relating to an attempted murder-for-hire of her ex-husband.
Stephanie M. Russell, 53, entered the guilty plea Monday morning, according to a release by the United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of Kentucky.
According to court records, Russell owned and ran KidzLife Pediatrics in Norton Commons, in Louisville, Kentucky.
In July 2021, court records state during a custody battle with her ex-husband, Russell started to ask multiple KidzLife employees if they knew of someone that would kill him.
In the spring of 2022, court records state the FBI began an investigation into these incidents. As part of this investigation, court records state a cooperating witness gave Russell a phone number that belonged to an undercover FBI special agent posing as a Chicago-based hitman.
Court records state Russell spoke over the phone with the agent several times, including a conversation where the agent offered to make the death of Russell’s ex-husband look like a suicide, to which Russell stated, “Yes, that would be amazing.”
Ultimately, court records state Russell agreed to pay $7,000, with half required upfront. On May 18, 2022, Russell was seen on surveillance leaving $3,500 in a box outside of KidzLife for the undercover special agent, who drove to Louisville from Illinois and was videotaped as he picked up the money, court records state.
Russell was arrested the next day.
Russell additionally engaged in behavior that caused her former husband “substantial emotional distress” by having another person harass him using a burner phone she provided, according to court records.
The harassment included visiting the office of Russell’s former husband without warning, pretending to be a WAVE-3 reporter, leaving voicemails on his phone, leaving a note inside of the ex-husband’s garage pretending a derogatory story could be written about him and leaving fliers outside of his office on cars with his photograph and the former husband’s personal information, along with “defamatory allegations” on them.
Russell pleaded guilty to two counts of a federal indictment charging her with 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. She faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.
