after dark the next day. he basically told me how they had lured russell to a certain spot on the island. and how he had came out of some bushes and walked up to him and just shot him in the head. and he made it sound like, you know, it was kind of gentle and peaceful. and that his just head just tilted over and he walked away. jim had told you that he had this dark secret, that he wanted to know what it would be like to kill someone. right. did it live up to his expectations? no. at first, he said, for a few days he felt like a big man. and, you know, it was exhilarating. and he thought he had accomplished something and rid the world of someone who didn t need to be there anymore. but then it started to close in on him. and then he wasn t such a big man. and that, you know, he knew he had made a terrible mistake. based on what jim told you, did brenna douglas offer any shred of proof that her husband was abusive?
the shooter, he said, was his best friend. i asked him, again, to call the next day. and he said, i have to work, but i can call on thursday. and i said, ok, well, i ll be here waiting. and he almost whispered, the shooter is jim huden. josh mankiewicz: jim huden, in the age of google, that was all the break mark plumberg needed. by the end of the day, the detectives knew that jim huden lived in south florida and played in a band. and according to the band s web site, one of its members was retired air force. and so the next time the caller phoned, detective beech was ready. he was asking me, were you able to do anything with what i gave you? and i said, well, yeah. but i think i m looking at a picture of you. and the phone went quiet. and he goes, you guys are good. i go, we re not good. it was just simple google searching. josh mankiewicz: at last, the detectives had a solid lead one that raised plenty of questions. who was this jim huden?
jean and jim got married in las vegas. and i was asked, by jean, if i would walk her down the aisle. was she happy? oh, yeah. all smiles, both of them were all smiles. josh mankiewicz: but the smiles did not last long. in june 2002, jim huden returned here to washington state for the funeral of an old friend. and it was here that fate intervened. a tall, red-haired beauty caught jim s eye. it was the beginning of a love triangle, one that would wreck the lives of all the people who were involved and some who were not. the woman in question was peggy thomas a whidbey island hairstylist who also dabbled in beauty pageants. in fact, in 2001, thomas represented the state of washington in a las vegas pageant, winning the evening gown competition.
and i just there was no point in confronting him because he would lie about it anyway. josh mankiewicz: abandoned and alone, jean spent the holidays waiting for word from jim. then in early january, jean says her phone rang. her husband was on the line. but jim huden wasn t calling to wish his wife a happy new year. according to jean, he was calling to tell her that dreams do come true. he had killed a man in cold blood. he just said, it was done. and he s coming back. the murder? yes. what did you say? i think i was speechless at the time. i just i just i think i asked if he was ok. and does anyone know? are they after you? i just had basically asked if he was ok. your husband had just confessed that he had committed a murder for hire. mm-hm. i was just it was like getting kicked in the stomach. i just i mean, i knew it was i knew life, as i knew it, was over, at that point. josh mankiewicz: jean says her husband drove through the night, pulling into their garage in punta gorda
we re sleeping on the floor in the living room. she stayed in her bedroom a lot. she definitely was, like, sad. nothing seemed to be getting done. and so i kind of ended up taking over the organization of the house, what do we do for meals. josh mankiewicz: russel douglas had left behind a lot of unfinished business. the oldest of three children born to jim and gail before they divorced, russell had been a late bloomer. but adulthood intruded early. shortly after he started dating brenna, she became pregnant. marriage and parenthood did little to help him mature. i think he was mourning and missing being an 18-year-old who had a lot of dates, and drank, and went out with the guys. he did a little of that in college but not a lot. josh mankiewicz: russell and brenna fought often over children, money, and russel s affairs with other women. she had called me after a really rough, supposedly,