Dr. Stephanie Russell’s pediatric office in Louisville, Kentucky was a cozy, Disney-themed child’s dream with a live “Finding Nemo” fish tank and the promise that “your child is a star.”
But she wasn’t handing out lollipops in her personal life. Embroiled in a vicious custody battle with her ex-husband, federal prosecutors believe kindly-looking Dr. Russell hired a hitman to kill him — and not for the first time.
Russell, 52, who is a pediatrician at Kidzlife in Louisville, allegedly agreed to pay an undercover FBI agent $7,000 to take out her former spouse last Sunday, according to US prosecutors.
On Wednesday, Russell left $3,500 in cash in a drop box outside her office to settle half the fake hitman’s bill, the feds say.
She had allegedly told the agent she would pay him the other half after he finished the job.
Russell was charged with using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire and faces 10 years behind bars, authorities said.
This was allegedly not Russell’s first time trying to whack her ex. Court documents from 2020 cited by WAVE3 in Louisville indicate that Russell and her ex-husband have been in a custody battle over their two children for at least two years.
A judge ruled against Russell in the legal fight, saying she should lose custody of her kids, after she was accused in court of “coaching” them, WAVE3 reported.
The legal representative for the children also claimed in court Russell had tried to hire someone to kill her ex-husband in May 2018, the outlet said.
An attorney for Russell denied the allegations at the time, calling them preposterous. She later filed a lawsuit against the judge.
Lance Dooley’s two daughters have been seeing Russell since they were born.
“She’s been their primary care provider for six years, so it’s freaky,” Dooley told WHAS TV.
Dooley was trying to pick up his kids’ medical records because they found a new pediatrician after hearing about Russell’s arrest.
“Money drop-offs were happening right around the corner,” he said. “That freaks us out. It’s one of those things you don’t expect.”
Russell’s online reviews were generally favorable until trolls heard about the murder charge Friday.
“Her willingness to go the extra mile to eliminate a problem is her trademark,” wrote Richard Burchett. “You might say she’s killing it.”
