Stephanie M. Russell, a 53-year-old pediatrician from Louisville, Kentucky, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for attempting to hire a hitman to kill her ex-husband and for aiding and abetting interstate stalking.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett announced the sentence, which includes 10 years for the attempted murder-for-hire charge and 2 years for the interstate stalking charge, to be served consecutively. Russell will also serve 3 years of supervised release and pay a $10,000 fine.
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Russell, the owner of KidzLife Pediatrics, used interstate communication to arrange the murder of her ex-husband, R.C., during a contentious custody battle in 2021. She solicited employees for help finding a hitman and eventually contacted an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman.
Recorded conversations revealed Russell’s desire to have R.C. “completely gone” and her agreement to pay $7,000 for the murder. She was caught on video leaving a $3,500 down payment for the hitman, leading to her arrest.
In addition to the murder-for-hire plot, Russell also engaged in interstate stalking of her ex-husband between 2018 and 2019.
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She encouraged an accomplice to harass R.C., providing a burner phone and orchestrating various acts of intimidation, including leaving threatening voicemails and distributing defamatory flyers at R.C.’s workplace.
The FBI investigated the case, with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
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