Spokane man who raped his wife and recorded it sentenced to 11-plus years to life in prison
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Date: September 17, 2026
Spokane man who raped his wife and recorded it sentenced to 11-plus years to life in prison
On September 17, 2026, in Spokane County Superior Court, Russell S. Anders (57) was sentenced to 136 months to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of 2nd Degree Rape and 1st Degree Voyeurism in July. The jury also returned special verdicts on both counts, finding the defendant and the victim were intimate partners.
The charges stem from an incident in August of 2022 when Anders and his then-wife were visiting family and staying in an Airstream trailer in Medical Lake. Trial testimony revealed Anders drugged his wife and repeatedly sexually assaulted her while she was incapacitated. Anders videotaped the rapes, producing a total of 9 videos. Several weeks later, the victim noticed something in her wine during dinner, which turned out to be a small pill. The pill appeared to match Anders’ prescription sleeping pills. That incident prompted the victim to access Anders’ computer, where she discovered the videos of Anders raping her. She made a report to the Seattle Police Department and Anders was subsequently arrested.
Because Anders has no prior felony convictions, his standard sentencing ranges as set by Washington State law are 102-136 months to life for the 2nd Degree Rape conviction and 4 to 12 months for the 1st Degree Voyeurism conviction. At the sentencing hearing, the State requested the court impose the high-end of the standard range, 136 months to life for the rape and 12 months for the voyeurism, to be served concurrently. Defense asked the court to impose the low end of the standard range. The victim told the court Anders’ crimes and his lack of remorse have broken their family beyond repair. Troubled by Anders’ abuse of trust, Judge Annette Plese followed the State’s recommendation, imposing 136 months to life in prison. Judge Plese further ordered Anders to serve lifetime community custody, have no contact with the victim for life, and to register as a sex offender for life.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Anastasiya Krotoff handled the case for the State. We thank her, our Victim/Witness Advocate, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, particularly Detective Veronica Van Patten, and the Seattle Police Department for their strong work on this case.
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