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Jessie Stensland / South Whidbey Record
Peggy Sue Thomas, a former beauty queen charged with first-degree murder in the 2003 killing of a 32-year-old man, listens to her attorney Craig Platt at a hearing last week in Island County Superior Court in Washington state.
Two days after Christmas 2003: A man walking his dog through the woods on Whidbey Island in Washington state spots a yellow Chevy sports utility vehicle, its door open, its driver with a bullet in the head.
The victim is Russel Douglas, 32, and when police search his cell phone records, according to court documents, they find that he has recently been in touch with Peggy Sue Thomas – a 6-foot-tall, single mother of two who was crowned Ms. Washington in 2000.
South Whidbey Record
Peggy Sue Thomas was crowned Ms. Washington state in 2000. She attended the national competition in Las Vegas that same year.
She won the evening gown division at the national competition, where she proclaimed, according to a profile in the Seattle Weekly, that the greatest ethical challenge facing women was “raising children with morals, even with all the violence, sex and drugs in the media.”
Years after she graced the national stage with that sobering message, prosecutors alleged that she lured Russel Douglas, the estranged husband of a longtime friend, to the woods under the pretense of giving him a Christmas gift. There, investigators claimed, her lover shot Douglas point-blank.
On Thursday, a week before her first-degree murder trial was scheduled to begin, Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering of criminal assistance with three additional years for the involvement of a gun – a crime that will likely result in a four-year sentence. That’s the maximum amount of time under the state’s sentencing guidelines for that crime.
Read the charging document (.pdf)
Thomas has, by all accounts, lived a storied life.
She was born on Whidbey Island in a busy home filled with stepsiblings and half siblings, including a brother who was later killed in an Alaska bar by a man he had beaten in an arm-wrestling contest, according to the Seattle Weekly. Her stepmother was murdered. A sister later hanged herself.
Thomas attended beauty school, did a stint in the Navy and married several men, including an Alaska businessman whose horse, Mine That Bird, won the Kentucky Derby in 2009. She drove a Lexus with a vanity plate that read, according to the Weekly: FIRYRED, presumably a nod to her auburn-colored hair.
Island County Detective Mark Plumberg wrote in a statement that when he called Thomas after finding Russel Douglas dead at the wheel, she told him that she was a limousine driver in Las Vegas.
Plumberg said Thomas told him that she had been in touch with Douglas over the holidays – but only to give him a gift to pass along to his wife, Brenna Douglas.
But then came telephone tips in 2004, including one from a Florida man who said a friend, James E. Huden, told him that he had killed a man on Whidbey Island and that he had not been able to find the shell casing, Det. Plumberg wrote in his statement. That fit with the crime scene, where the shell casing of a .380-caliber pistol was found, according to court documents.
The Florida man added that Huden was having an affair with a woman named Peggy, who lived in Las Vegas, and that the two had been on Whidbey Island over the holidays, court records say.
Meanwhile, a retired police officer in New Mexico turned in a .380-caliber pistol he believed had been used to kill Russel Douglas, according to court records. The retired officer knew Huden and said that he had picked up the gun before leaving for Washington state, and then dropped it off upon his return. The Washington State Patrol crime lab identified the gun as the one that discharged the bullet that killed Russel Douglas.
The crime lab also detected "a latent fingerprint" belonging to Peggy Sue Thomas, court records say.
As police interviewed witnesses, Huden departed for Mexico, where he called himself Maestro Jim and taught guitar, the Seattle Weekly reported. While he was abroad, Island County prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder.
The Seattle Weekly quoted Sgt. Michael Beech as saying on the television program “Washington’s Most Wanted” that investigators believed that Huden was “hired, a contract, to kill Russel Douglas.”
In 2011, Huden's wife, Jean Huden, told investigators that her husband told her about the killing. U.S. Marshals arrested Huden in Mexico in June 2011. He was found guilty of first-degree murder in July 2012 in Island County Superior Court and was sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Peggy Sue Thomas was arrested a month later in New Mexico near her houseboat, which court records say she had recently renamed “Off the Hook.”
Bail was set at $5 million.
Plumberg suggested a possible motive in court records: Thomas and Brenna Douglas had worked together at a hair salon, and Thomas owned the house in which the Douglas family had lived. The detective said one witness had told him that she had heard Russel Douglas had been abusive toward his wife and their children. The Seattle Weekly reported that Brenna Douglas had filed a restraining order against her husband, saying that he had punched her and threatened to kill her.
As for Thomas, her attorney Craig Platt told the Seattle Times Friday that the plea deal provided his client some relief. Thomas has maintained her innocence.
“She accepts the outcome, but for her it’s the lesser of two evils,” Platt said.
Leave a Comment:
that bitch, throw the book at her....
True justice - A woman shoots a man dead at point blank and gets 4 years and a guy who commits a sexual assault gets 10 - 15 years.
You'll give her four years for murder with a gun then tell me what guns I can have. GFY.
What a bimbo. In the hole you go - throw the key away. Next.
Concerned999,Thomas did not shoot the man.She lured him so that another man could kill him.That man,Mr.Huden is serving 80 years.Thomas has lived a tragic life for the most part but four years is not enough for luring somebody to their death.This is sad on all accounts as her children have basically lost the mother that they knew.The children of Mr.Douglas have lost their father which is even sadder.I practically needed a score card to keep all of these people straight myself.
You people amaze me. Your reading comprehension is lousy. Her boyfriend is the one who did the shooting----- There, investigators claimed, her lover shot Douglas point-blank.
However, since she lured the guy to the spot a four year sentence seems extremely weak.
Another thing is this: several you seem to think it's ok to murder an "alleged" abuser. First of all you have only seen a small portion of one side to this story. Second, it seems anytime there is a case like this the defendant always want you to believe the dead guy was an abuser. The guy isn't here to defend himself and you all weren't there to see if it actually happened.
Cleaning lady and whitewolf,
It's nice to see someone comprehends what they read! There's only a couple of reasons the prosecutor would go for such a reduced charge. Either the victim truly was a POS, and they thought a conviction would be hard to get, or they just had problems with some of their evidence and were unsure of a conviction. Prosecutors don't deal down that low if they think they can win. This way at least the DA can add another win to his/her record.
Retired cop had murder weapon that was orginally his that he loaned to murderer Huden, months or year later still had latent finger prints? He turned it over to Detectives after seeing TV show? I thought it was a crime to supply a murder weapon? Huden was arrested in 2011, murder in 2003, sounds a little odd.
If the guy was an abuser, beat the daylights out of him and abuse him a plenty ...BUT MURDER ?
Four years is BULL
In Texas she would be doing 80 just like the trigger man... and rightfully so
She wouldn't even be doing 4 years if there hadn't been a gun involved. We can be thankful Washington has a good anti-gun law.
Once again, our wonderful justice system at work.. Since the 15th century, Lady Justice has been depicted wearing a blindfold. The blindfold represents objectivity, in that justice is or should be meted out objectively, without fear or favor, regardless of identity, money, power, or weakness; blind justice and impartiality.. What a crock! Money, power and fame can nearly always means a 'get out of jail free' card!
Our whole justice system is a joke! A person like this woman can take another's life and get four years while some poor kid in an inner city neighborhood can get sent to prison for LIFE for selling a few ounces of Pot! Again, what a crock!
She recieved four years for being accessory to the crime essentially. Yes, she lured the guy to his death, but she wasn't the one who pulled the trigger.
I was about to type this, but bob-2476682 beat me to it. I found that snippet a bit odd as well.
just a cleaning lady, Yep your right she just lured him to his death. She knew what she was doing, and she knew he was going to die. Where I come from thats accessory to murder which carries 20 to life. Your a complete moron!
She should get more than just that. After all she was the one who set it up. Hell Charles Manson didn't do much more.
Just curious, how many posters here actually caught the last paragraph... as in the alledged motive, as determined by the DA?
I thought that if anyone is involved as an accomplice in a crime resulting in a homicide, you are as guilty as the person that committed the homicide.
"Thomas attended beauty school, did a stint in the Navy and married several men..." Ummmm?
Those crazy beauty queens! They all want peace on earth when they're on the runway. What lies beneath is a superficial personality based soley on looks, devoid of character.
She was trying to achieve world peace.
Unless it can be proven without a doubt she murdered this person, she is innocent, if it can be proven then nothing short of immediate execution is accetable, and that goes for everyone who murders another person.
Even as a "beauty queen" she was a bit of a "butter face". Everything on her looked pretty good; butter face.
SDN, you are right, it's called "acting in concert."
Jerry, she didn't pull the trigger, but a latent fingerprint on the shell casing leads me to believe she had much more of a role in the murder than just luring the victim.
Plea deals are not necessarily made by DA's that feel that they don't have enough evidence to win a case. Most plea deals are made by lazy DA's that don't want to take the time and effort to prove a suspect committed a crime. I spent 5 years as a law enforcement agent and saw this many, many times.
If you think this is a miscarriage of justice, just check out the other article about a murderer about to go free after only 5 years...
I'm sickened by our legal system and seeing punishments not befitting of the crime. Lazy azz DA's who seem to pick and choose which cases they want to prosecute in the name of "saving taxpayer's money." Uhhhhhh, I really don't mind paying to prosecute those who are more deserving of a harsher sentence than just letting them off with a slap on the wrist, especially murderers and crimes against children.
But such is the system we have. However, I strongly believe in karma and my dream job is to be the karma bus driver. Sometimes it seems the karma bus misses every now and then, but if I were the driver, I'd make a few U turns!!
Just another fine example of how much better women are always treated in our courts. It's getting to the point that if one is born with tits, it's perty near pointless to even prosecute. I mean who wants to put a poor defenceless woman in prison.
This is murder by crotch and I think we all know what that means.
She manipulated some loser with her... crotch and got him to pull the trigger with a weapon he obtained. Pretty clear that if 'Huden was hired...' that makes it conspiracy to commit murder at the very least, and since she paid him with favors that should qualify as a special circumstance (well, probably won't but it should!).
Lot more than 4 years called for here. I wouldn't be surprised if the judge went beyond the sentencing guidelines.
Another money grubbin psycho biatch
Really? Where was the money in it for her?
From the article:
Yeah, money grubbin psycho! See all that money she's getting? Oh wait, looks like she did the world a favor.
lovemymeme's - The problem is they (NBC Staff Writer) waited until the end of the article to put that little tidbit in. Most folks gave up reading long before then a just assumed it was a lovers triangle.
The last part of the story suggests the possibility she was trying to protect her friend from being killed and perhaps thier children as well. If the guy who got killed was a wife beater and child abuser he got what he had coming.
You truly are a tool.
Stooping to name calling? The avenger must have touched that real sensitive nerve. Avengers are like that.
If I read the article correctly is appers this woman, if she did have anything to do with guys death, did so to protect the wife and children of this man who supposedly was abusing a woman and children. WHAT A lovely guy. I can't say that he should have been murdered but if the reason was to protect the weak from an abusive AHOLE its okay and maybe even noble.
How much did this investigation cost the tax payers? Why doesn't the punishment compensate the crime?
Mr.Thomas wife alleged that her husband was abusive but that does not give another person the right to murder him unless they were the ones being harmed and it was self defense.We have laws and a justice system in America which should have been utilized.
One man is dead and another is serving 80 years in prison.
Hopefully when she gets out of prison she will go back to her lesbian lover.
This story is only a very short tip of the iceberg story. If you want to know more go read it at www.whidbeynewstimes.com or www.southwhidbeyrecord.com.
A vital witness is in the hospital and the judge had not yet ruled if crucial evidence could be used in the trial.
There is also speculation that she was given a plea deal to testify against Brenna Douglas, who received quite a bit of insurance money.
Not sayin' she was right, but I sorta agree with Book #3.3...
The article said her life was riddled with violent death, including a murdered step-Mom. Apparently the dead man's wife was her best bff, Ms. Thomas owned the house the Douglas' were living in... and she wanted to protect her...
All that violence had to effect her some way or another. Lost a lot of people to it. Saw her bestie in danger and wanted to head it off at the pass, so to speak.
Like it was posted earlier, it's pretty sad...seems several kids lost parents that day...
baschnagel hasnt got a clue-hope he is never on a jury-raised local is great-raised the probale reason for the whole disgusting mess -insurancemoney and greed[in my opinion!!!
Strange how they manage to claim abuse everytime isn't it? A lot of suckers will fall for it and they know it to. All a part of their inner evil.
Just another beauty queen whos tytle has gone to her head. Thinks because she is beautful, that she can get away with anything. Like the old saying is. Beautiful is everthing, but unglness goes clear throught yo the bone. Lock her up abd through away the keys.
GailN I agree and she plays other man too, to seduce them she does not have any moral values at all.
It wasn't even a real title, it looks like she competed in the "Ms. US Continental" pageant and got her "Ms. Washington" title by just sending in some cash and an application. She never won a pageant and I don't know many people that would call her beautiful. She looks 45 in her pageant photo.
Gail N, all other considerations aside, has it ever occurred to you to learn spelling, grammar, and syntax?
I'm going to make a wild guess here, Thomas' success as a beauty contestant really rankles because you could never achieve that.
your point,mr jkatze?????????????at least her comment makes sense,which is more than i can say for your!!
arf arf arf
There was no mention that she used a 5.56 mm semi automatic assault rifle.
She did no wrong.
End of story.
Wait, so she used a .380? That can't be right. Where's the assault rifle? I bet it's in the trunk.
WHAT! DO you have a point?
She used nothing. Reading is fundamental.
When are we going to learn. Letting people go with a 4 yr sentence in a 1st degree muder charge is not what we the people want. What we need is determinant sentencing for all felonies. That includes NO REDUCING OF CHARGES ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN CHARGED. NO MORE LESSER INCLUDED CHARGES. No more lets make a deal.
The prosecutors accept a plea to reduced charges when they feel they can't get a guilty verdict on the more serious charges. It ends up saving allot of time and money, and insures that the defendant doesn't walk away totally free.
She didn't commit the murder....She was an accessory. There is a difference, even if it is slight. The man who pulled the trigger was sentenced to 80 years.
And you wonder why the united states has so much crime. My kids had more consequences for their actions. And they are wonderful parents.
"She's a Killer Queen", that got fingered by a woman named Jean, thought she got away clean, this former beauty queen.
This from New York where the S.A.F.E. legislation LMFAO was just enacted.(look it up if you're unfamiliar, its a hoot) Guns don't kill people it's the football, oops excuse me, thugball playing, cheerleading, beauty pageant runner up mentality that kills people.
The writer of this story left gaping holes. And lack of connectivity throughout the story. If the writer can't even connect his thoughts how the hell is a jury supposed to come down on this? 4 yrs is too long for the beauty queen. She will be old and uglier than ever when she gets out.
Graham, I have to agree with you...the way this story laid out, I wouldn't even be able to convict this ____— of anything but perpetual indecisiveness....
Read some of these articles they should help you decide http://bit.ly/X5JjzX
Here, these articles help fill in the holes a little: http://bit.ly/X5JjzX
innocent until proven guilty.
like I always thought, the criminals from US flea to mexico and the criminals from mexico flea to the US. Inst that pathetic or what. Now that is one screw up family and a bunch of murderers. But it does not surprise me because we have woman prisons for that purpose. Women make up story to cover their trails specially knowing if the Judge is compationate enough to think that woman are defendless. But they can be as scruel as a criminal and even worse in the case of the spider woman early in the 1900 in california whom killed her husband.
Realistralph I agree with you, throw the book at her and the people involved and get them out of society.
Maybe we should use some flea powder and exterminate the fleas. After that we can flee the scene.
Antistupidity,
Thank you. Along with the flea powder I might suggest remedial English. I think you have your work cut out for you tonight!
Based on the information in the article, four years is not enough for the crime. She set up a murder? Most likely, because the fellow pulling the trigger apparently had no grudge with the murdered man. Maybe or maybe not the world is a better place without him. But murder was not necessary. If she was so concerned about the woman there are other ways to help. 15 to life is more fitting.
You'll never get 15 to life on an accessory charge!
It sounds to me like it is a reduced charge. Looks like she set it up, so she is more guilty than the shooter. Not sure what they call that kind of charge.
The girl has been busy.
No mention of 7.62 x 39 mm
No mention of 5.56 mm 45 grain
What seems to be the problem?
or 30 shot magazines
Not sure why this woman was involved or the man either. I know if I had a friend being abused I would want to help her, but not by murdering the guy. I would wonder if the 'wife' herself might have been involved. It seems really strange that a 'friend' would take it on her own to 'hire' someone to 'murder' her friend's husband. Now, as for the punishment, I would think they charged her with the crimes they felt they could get a conviction on in the first place. Calling names is a little childish.
This article doesn't mention the insurance money that was available to Mr. Douglas' ex-wife. I think if you read these articles: http://bit.ly/X5JjzX you will get a clearer picture of what is going on. NBC will probably put this back on Dateline again...
Please read these articles: http://bit.ly/X5JjzX
Beauty queen is quite the stretch...
Typical "justice" - he gets 80 years, she gets four years.
The guy who did the shooting is a regular genius. Borrow a gun from a x cop and then returning it, while he tells the cop where he went.
He should have got 80 years for being stupid.
jajaja good one one for americas dumbmess criminal.
pedrora,
Please, do the world a favor... enroll in remedial English!
Beauty Queen? Who was her sponsor, Ample Duds?
For the record, some of the biggest lies revolve around "reports" of domestic violence. If there is a custody dispute, maybe a little divorce, or some type of insurance pay out, well...you are probably being taken for a fool. This woman is getting off easy, and just by looking at her, I suspect she just wanted to kill a man...didn't care if he abused anything or not. I am NOT willing to give her the benefit of the doubt absent strong evidence.
Here, read these articles:
http://bit.ly/X5JjzX
looks like she never missed a meal.
This is one of those crazy women that enter stupid little pageants and become "Ms. State" by sending in some cash to the national organization (which in this case was the Ms. Continental US pageant, whatever that is). Nothing but a pathetic middle aged attention seeker. Please don't use the term "beauty queen" to describe her, that's laughable.
if eveyone who felt the need to own a gun, criminals and law abiders alike, would just buy a gun like the one pictured in my avatar, we wouldn't need gun control laws..........;-)~..just sayin
For the first time tonight I'm tempted to resort to name calling! Use what little imagination you have and figure out what I was going to call you!