Ex-beauty queen sentenced for role in Whidbey Island murder
COUPEVILLE, Wash. - A former Ms. Washington pageant winner was sentenced Friday in Coupeville to four years in prison for her role in a Whidbey Island murder.
Peggy Sue Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty in January to rendering criminal assistance. Island County prosecutors originally had charged her with first-degree murder.
Thomas was accused of plotting with her boyfriend, James Huden, to kill a man named Russ Douglas, who was found shot to death in a car on Whidbey Island two days after Christmas in 2003. Prosecutors say she lured Douglas to the spot where he was killed.
After the killing, Thomas went to live on a houseboat on Navajo Lake near Farmington, N.M. She was arrested there in 2011 and charged with murder.
The victim's father, Jim Douglas, said at Friday's hearing that he believed Thomas' sentence was not long enough to fit the crime.
"It seems like a travesty of the basic sense of justice that she would be sentecned to less than four years in prison for the cold and premeditated act that could not have happened without her involvement," said Douglas.
Gail O'Neal, the mother of victim, urged Thomas to tell the family what happened on the night of her son's murder.
"You and Jim Huden are going to be sitting in prison cells reflecting on all of this. And I hope that if you ever get the guts to tell, that you can call me and tell me exactly what happened, because we are mothers," O'Neal said.
The judge also gave Thomas an opportunity to come clean about the murder. But she refused.
Huden was convicted last summer of murder and sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Thomas, a former hairdresser, had once worked at a salon owned by Douglas' wife. She won the Ms. Washington beauty pageant in 2000.
Peggy Sue Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty in January to rendering criminal assistance. Island County prosecutors originally had charged her with first-degree murder.
Thomas was accused of plotting with her boyfriend, James Huden, to kill a man named Russ Douglas, who was found shot to death in a car on Whidbey Island two days after Christmas in 2003. Prosecutors say she lured Douglas to the spot where he was killed.
After the killing, Thomas went to live on a houseboat on Navajo Lake near Farmington, N.M. She was arrested there in 2011 and charged with murder.
The victim's father, Jim Douglas, said at Friday's hearing that he believed Thomas' sentence was not long enough to fit the crime.
"It seems like a travesty of the basic sense of justice that she would be sentecned to less than four years in prison for the cold and premeditated act that could not have happened without her involvement," said Douglas.
Gail O'Neal, the mother of victim, urged Thomas to tell the family what happened on the night of her son's murder.
"You and Jim Huden are going to be sitting in prison cells reflecting on all of this. And I hope that if you ever get the guts to tell, that you can call me and tell me exactly what happened, because we are mothers," O'Neal said.
The judge also gave Thomas an opportunity to come clean about the murder. But she refused.
Huden was convicted last summer of murder and sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Thomas, a former hairdresser, had once worked at a salon owned by Douglas' wife. She won the Ms. Washington beauty pageant in 2000.
As usual, KOMO leaves out 99% of the details. If you are curious about the story, it's been covered elsewhere. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2011-11-16/news/peggy-sue-thomas-drop-dead-gorgeous/full/
All of that trouble and all the guilt, and all for nothing- neither the $300,000 nor the $200,000 life insurance policies on Douglas were willing to pay out.
What the  #&^%@*  was the motive?
@Donacita yes she was. how else do you think she represented washington state in the ms usa pageant?
The story is wrong on the facts. She was never a "Miss Washington". She was a "Miss USA" contestant from Washington.
@Donacita Are you stupid?  Buy a map or a globe, or talk to a four-year old who will have a better sense of geography and beauty-pageant locales than you obviously have.
From beauty queen to cell block bitxh. However, this woman isn't paying for her crime. She even refuses to come clean and give the family closure. The sentencing rules need to be changed. This is a travesty of justice.  Â
The travesty is she is only getting 4yrs. The problem is the sentencing rules have been changed the justice system is getting softer. there trying to save the government money, thats part of the reason Y there dropping the death penalty. That what my other comment was about. There is no reason to not kill some one. That is very sad. PS look at what they have done with Pot in this State
wow 4 years for helping to plan the death of another human? is that the "women get out of jail free" discount for this poor poor female?
The key word here is EX-Beauty Queen. (Very...Ex.)
I'm guessing that's her daughter in the background??  Looks very similar.
@achoo2Â Compare their complexion and their noses. Â I don't think so.
In this case beauty isn't even skin deep
@Blevnangels See what 10 plus years will do?
This is Y we have a gun problem kill some one and spend 4to8yrs. in jail.Those gang bangers could do that standing on there head and there out. + I see Obama is putting pressure on business to hire Felonies so now that word do not mean nothing you can't own a gun.What Difference Does It Make she has already killed some one. Get out of jail get a job like nothing ever happen.
@Mike huh?
@Heisenberg @Mike I know, the bizarre, Random capitals in mid-sentence are annoying as he(ck), and the childish text speak is just a mess not worth wasting time trying to decipher.Â
@MargeGunderson @Heisenberg @Mike @Heisenberg @Mike Search "Obama EEOC felons" without the quotes and you'll figure out why so much of America is DISGUSTED with the pro-criminal stance this administration is taking.
The OP is simply tying that to the low sentences many criminals are getting these days.
Clearly she didn't win Miss Congeniality.
Beauty queen her?
Why did they kill him?
"Meh Peg-gy Sue-hu-hu"
@Throbbinhood If this is still stuck in my mental jukebox three days from now, I'm coming after you hard. You'll be desperate to get this one back with what I plant in there on you... :DÂ
@Throbbinhood rats! you beat me to it
4 years, shocked face :-O
Only 4 years?? She used to be a hairdresser with hair like that??? double-whammy.
@The WA Mama?! The first thing I thought was wow her hair looks great. But I agree she should get a hell of alot more than 4 years.
@Andy Pollow @The WA Mama I don't want to know how ladies get mixed up in stuff like this scary. Call me boring, but I'd rather enjoy a pedi or lunch with a friend than get involved with some violent guy who wants me to help him commmit a crime.
Wow 4 years, let me guess? Washington State.