Kentucky Pediatrician Charged With Murder-for-Hire

A pediatrician in Louisville, Kentucky, has been charged with murder-for-hire, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

On May 15, Stephanie Russell, MD, 52, contacted someone she believed she was hiring to murder her ex-husband, DOJ said. However, the person she contacted was actually an undercover FBI agent.

Russell agreed to pay $7,000 to the agent in exchange for the murder, and on May 18, she placed $3,500 outside of her medical office in a drop box as half of the payment, according to DOJ. She agreed to pay the other half once the murder took place.

Instead, the FBI arrested Russell on May 19.

On its website, Russell’s practice, Kidz Life Pediatrics, states that patients will see the same doctor at every visit, and boasts a Disney theme, including a live “Finding Nemo” fish tank. The practice is located in the affluent Norton Commons neighborhood, Louisville’s WHAS11 reported.

Following the pediatrician’s arrest, Lance Dooley, the father of two young patients who have been cared for by Russell since they were born, told WHAS11 that the news of her arrest has been unsettling. Dooley spoke with the outlet while attempting to pick up his daughters’ medical records from the Kidz Life office.

“She’s been their primary care provider for 6 years, so it’s freaky,” Dooley told WHAS11. “Money drop-offs were happening right around the corner. That freaks us out. It’s one of those things you don’t expect.”

The current murder-for-hire allegations against Russell are not the first. Court records from 2020 show that she was previously accused of attempting to hire a hitman, and that she and her ex-husband have been engaged in a custody battle over their two children for at least 2 years, WAVE3 of Louisville reported.

The records show that a judge ruled Russell should lose custody of her children after a Guardian Ad Litem accused her of “coaching” them, causing them “emotional harm,” and trying to have her ex-husband killed in 2018, WAVE3 reported. However, legal counsel for Russell subsequently denied the allegation and filed a lawsuit against the judge.

As of Monday, Russell’s medical license is still active, according to a search of Kentucky’s online database.

Louisville attorney David Mour, who has represented Russell in the past and is representing her in this current case, told MedPage Today in an email that “our system mandates Dr. Russell is innocent until proven otherwise beyond a reasonable doubt.”

If convicted at trial, Russell faces a maximum term of up to 10 years in federal prison, DOJ said, noting that there is no parole in the federal system.