By Tim Binnall
Attorneys for a Kentucky woman accused of trying to have her ex-husband killed have revealed that their client initially considered a supernatural alternative in the form of a mystic enlisted to put a deadly curse on the man. According to a local media report, the weird plan was disclosed by lawyers representing Dr. Stephanie Russell, who was charged with the alleged murder-for-hire plot last year. Hoping to provide some insight into her mental state in the months leading up to the arrest, her attorneys filed into evidence a series of text messages between the woman and an unnamed 'spiritual healer' wherein they discussed a proposed "death spell."
The bizarre conversation featured Russell asking the mystic if she practiced evil magic and attempting to determine if her powers could genuinely be used to take out her ex-husband. Seemingly irritated with her skeptical line of questioning, but understanding what she was asking for, the sorceress replied "I can't tell you inside details, but I will do your job." The spiritual healer went on to assuage Russell's further concerns regarding whether or not the supernatural scheme would work by assuring her that "it's a death spell, my dear, not a love spell." The mystic also boasted that her rituals have a remarkably specific success rate of 85 percent and that the man would perish around five hours after she performed her mysterious handiwork.
Not quite ready to fork over the funds to put the plan into action, Russell proposed paying after the dastardly deed had been done. However, the savvy psychic explained that she needed the cash up front and promised that her rituals come with a "100% money back guarantee." It would appear that the deal ultimately fell apart as Russell was subsequently arrested two months later when she thought she was hiring a hit man to murder her husband, but the would-be killer turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. Her trial is set for next month and her attorneys plan to argue that the murder-for-hire plot was brought about by their client suffering from an “extreme emotional disturbance" with the bizarre exchange with the mystic being part of their defense.