Snapped is examining the attempted murder of Russell Soderberg by his wife of 15 years, Martie Soderberg, who tried to hire an old friend to kill her husband in Spokane, Washington.
In the summer of 2016, Soderberg asked her colleague, Dennis Bjerke, to shoot Russell. She claimed that her husband had become physically and verbally abusive, and she wanted to get rid of him.
Bjerke told her she was “out of [her] mind” and refused to have anything to do with the murder.
A few months later, in October, Soderberg used social media to approach an old school friend, Martin Drake and asked him to do the murder.
Drake was homeless at the time, and Soderberg suggested she would give him some of the $300,000 life insurance policy she hoped to collect on Russell’s death.
However, Drake went to the cops and agreed to work with them. He wore a wire when Soderberg picked him up to discuss the murder.
Spokane cops heard Martie Soderberg discuss killing husband
Soderberg drove Drake around for three and a half hours as she discussed in detail how the murder should be committed. The pair discussed details such as buying the gun, creating alibis for Drake, escape routes, and disposing of the weapon. The audio tape recorded Soderberg stating she had “thought of everything.”
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelDuring the conversation, the cops had followed Soderberg’s Toyota Camry using cars and a helicopter.
A few days later, Soderberg met Drake again, giving him $50 to buy the gun. She stressed that Drake should kill Russell at his workplace. The plan had initially been to kill Russell at the family home while their children were out trick or treating for Halloween.
The cops arrested Soderberg on November 1 on a charge of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. She was convicted two years later and sentenced to 15 years.
During the trial, Drake and Bjerke testified against Soderberg, and the jury listened to the audio from her meetings with Drake. The killer cried when the jury announced the guilty verdict.
Martie Soderberg faced further charges relating to arson and fraud
In 2021, Soderberg was further charged with arson and insurance fraud over an unrelated case from 2013. On Labor Day weekend, 2013, the Soderbergs’ trailer, with all their belongings, went up in flames, and they subsequently received $75,000 from an insurance company.
However, a trial in 2021 ruled that Soderberg had deliberately started the fire. She was sentenced to a further three years.
Snapped airs Sundays at 6/5c on Oxygen.