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Former Owensboro pediatrician Dr. Stephanie Russell has been taken into custody on suspicion of hiring an undercover FBI agent to kill her ex-husband. According to the US Department of Justice, Russell was charged with exploiting interstate commerce facilities to commit murder-for-hire.
Russell, 52, was apprehended by FBI investigators on May 19 at 5.40 pm. The doctor is originally from Owensboro and most recently worked at a practice called Kidzlife Pediatrics in Louisville.
Stephanie Russell convicted for gun-for-hire
As per reports, Russell agreed to pay $7,000 in restitution for the murder and deposited half of the agreed-upon amount, $3,500, in a dropbox outside her medical office on May 18.
After facing severe accusations for allegedly planning a plot to kill her ex-husband, Russell was detained in an Oldham County federal prison. She made an initial appearance in front of a US Magistrate Judge in the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
According to paperwork filed with the court, Russell's ex-husband began the divorce proceedings in 2018, and it was settled two years later in 2020. Before her confinement, they were fighting over custody of the child.
In a lawsuit filed against the court that handed her ex-husband temporary full custody of the couple's two children, her lawyer called the allegations "preposterous."
WAVE reports suggested:
“Courts documents show Russell and her ex-husband have been in a custody battle over their two children for at least two years.”
Her preliminary detention will be the subject of a hearing on May 24. She faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison if convicted. Prosecutors noted,
“There is no provision for parole in the federal justice system.”
A federal district court judge will impose any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory criteria. The announcement was made by US Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky.
All about Stephanie Russell
Dr. Stephanie Russell is a pediatrician who serves at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. After completing her graduation from the University of Louisville School of Medicine, she attained a medical degree. She has over 20 years of experience in being a children’s specialist.
According to court filings, to kill her ex-husband, Russell was accused of hiring a hitman who turned out to be a member of the FBI’s covert operations.
The FBI and Louisville Metro Police Department are reportedly investigating the case.
