
This week, in Freeland, Washington, this small, island community is shocked, when a man is brutally murdered, especially because it's obviously a large conspiracy, involving many people. Those possible people are a former Ms. Washington beauty queen,...
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James Petregallo
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Jimmy Whisman
Our customers save an average of 10%.
James Petregallo
When they book select properties for a week or longer. Just in case you needed another reason to extend that vacation book, the perfect summer getaway today with VRBO Private vacation rentals. Your future self will thank you later. Hello, everybody and welcome back to small town Murder Express.
Jimmy Whisman
Yay. Choo choo.
James Petregallo
Oh, yay indeed, Jimmy. Yay indeed. My name is James Petregallo. I'm here with my co host.
Jimmy Whisman
I'm Jimmy Whisman.
James Petregallo
Thank you folks so much for joining us today. We have a wild episode for you for Express. I mean, we are cramming. This is a huge story. We're going to cram it into an express. So it's just going to be dynamite. Can't wait for it. Crazy stuff. Before we get to that. Very quickly, shut up and give me. Murder.com is where you get tickets for live shows. Also all your merchandise, everything like that. Live show tickets, Seattle is for sale right now. I think the San Diego ones are gone, but you can check those. And Philly, D.C. so I don't know if D.C. has gone to Philly. So get in there. Seattle and Philly. Buy your tickets now for the fall. We are jacked to come all over this country. That didn't sound very good at all. We will, but it's gonna happen. Everybody watch out. We look at them all. Also get yourself some Patreon. Yeah, that is where you get the bonus material. Patreon.com crimeinsports. Just like the name of our other show that you should be listening to. That is where you get all the bonus material. Anybody $5 a month or above you. You're gonna get so much. So much. First of all, hundreds of bonus episodes you've never heard before. Immediately upon subscription, you'll have to binge. And then new ones every other week. One crime and sports, one small town murder. And you get it all this week, which you're gonna get for crime and sports. We're gonna talk about gambling in sports. Since it became legalized outside of Nevada. And how many scandals there's been? It's.
Jimmy Whisman
There's a lot.
James Petregallo
So many. It's every week there's another athlete getting caught up in this. So it's really interesting that then for small town murder, it's your choice. It's a pick em. We're doing a poll here. We're either gonna do Ted Bundy helping catch the Green river killer or we're gonna do the history of executions in the United States. One or the other, hit me up. You can send me a message on Instagram. Amespetregallo P I E. Yeah, they're both good. And I screwed up and didn't have one, so I didn't know which one to do. And so I'm letting you guys pick. So there you go. You pay for it. Might as well be able to pick it. Patreon.com CrimeanSports you also get all of our shows, Crime and sports, your stupid opinions and small town murder all ad free on Patreon. You can put the RSS feed into your player and play it on whatever app you like to play it on. Do that and you get a shout out at the end of the regular show. How much more could we give you? That's all we got here. Come to your house, cook your dinner. That's all we can do for you. So that said, I think it's time to sit back, everybody. Let's do this. Let's all clear the lungs and let's all shout. Shut up and give me murder. Let's do this, everybody. Okay, let's go on a trip, shall we? We are going to Washington State this week.
Jimmy Whisman
It's a nice place.
James Petregallo
It's lovely. This is a very lovely place we're going to. It's Freeland, Whidbey Island, Washington. The town is Freeland. That's the name of the town. It's on Whidbey island, which is in Washington. Whidbey. W H I D B E Y. Whidbey Island. It's in northwestern Washington. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Seattle, even though it's like 30 minutes away, or 30 miles away as the crow flies. There's a ferry involved. It's complicated. About an hour and 15 to Kirkland, Washington. Our last Washington episode, which was the charming serial killer. Yeah, that was a weird episode. There's posing involved. That was real creepy. This is in Island County. Seems appropriate. Area code 360. There is about 1966 people here.
Jimmy Whisman
Rich people.
James Petregallo
Yeah. And it's Hard to tell. Well, some. Not really. It's some rich people. Some people that have had cabins there throughout their families since before. Yeah, it's kind of like Lake George is the best way to put it if you're an east coast person. Like there's rich people with these giant houses up there. And there's also like these small houses that have been in families for three generations. And they're middle class people. That's that kind of thing.
Jimmy Whisman
Just getaways for middle class. Yeah, yeah. You've never found out.
James Petregallo
Yeah, it can be either or. And the population is way higher in the summer here than it is in the winter. So there's that too. But it's about 2,000 permanent residents. Median household income here is $82,474, which is not that high above the national average. And then the median home cost here is out of control compared to that that, you know, the median income, it is $667,400.
Jimmy Whisman
I'm shocked. They're on a million dollars.
James Petregallo
Little expensive. Well, it's only because a lot of them are small little cabins, like little summer vacation places.
Jimmy Whisman
They're ruining the property value.
James Petregallo
Yeah, that's. There were 300 grand and then the million dollar house and so median. There we go. So the little bit of history because we gotta speed through this here. George Washington Daniels and some other people here incorporated the Free land Association in 1900 and established the colony on land they purchased through a trust company. So the members purchased dividend paying shares in the association store fund and machinery fund. This is a complicated way to start a town, man. This isn't just some people showing up. So they had all these things because the members could pay for their land with dividends from their shares. The founders considered their land to be free, which is why it's free. Land is the name of the town. So by 1902 they said now you have to purchase your land outright. And it kind of ruined the whole thing here. So it considered itself a cooperative profit sharing association. The town did and rejected the rigid communal structure of other colonies on the island. They described themselves to the newspaper as simply a settlement of socialists cooperating on semi capitalistic principles. Hippies. They're the first hippies is what it's 1900 hippies, co ops involved. Yeah, interesting. So reviews of this town, five stars. I love this town. Probably one of the best places I have ever lived. I've lived everywhere. It's such a safe place and I can really enjoy life here. It is, it's beautiful. There's water everywhere. I mean, it's gorgeous. Four stars. Not much crime at all. Just a few robberies, which make the police a little lackadaisical. Yeah, they can get a little lazy because there's not enough crime. They need practice, everybody. That's what it is. Get out there, commit some crime, and.
Jimmy Whisman
By the time they're called, it's already over.
James Petregallo
Yeah, they don't know. They're like, ah, well, back to what we were doing.
Jimmy Whisman
So what are you missing? All right, we'll do the paperwork on it.
James Petregallo
Back to fishing. All right. Two stars. Watching the orcas. Two stars. Rains all the time. In all caps.
Jimmy Whisman
Yes.
James Petregallo
Yeah, it's Washington. It's awful. That's the only kind of weather we experience here. Okay. And then finally, two stars. Very pricey and not very family friendly. No such thing as nightlife or clubbing.
Jimmy Whisman
Well, no, because.
James Petregallo
No, it's an island vacation town. There's nothing.
Jimmy Whisman
There's 1900 people. What, do you want to show up and do a show?
James Petregallo
Well, I mean, Ludacris will probably show up. If you do a state fair, as we figured out from this show. Throw a fair up, you will not be able to keep him away. Be like, there's a van outside with a. It just says Ludacris on the side. Is that. Did we invite him?
Jimmy Whisman
It's a van. So it didn't have enough room to write the Chris part. It just says Luda.
James Petregallo
It wraps around the back. Actually, the last is. Are on the other side. So we didn't invite him. Did he's here? I mean, I guess we'll put him up. I don't know. I mean, he showed up. He's got a microphone.
Jimmy Whisman
He's time. I don't know what that means.
James Petregallo
He's fully dressed. Like, he's got jewelry on and shit. Like it looks like he's ready to go. We should probably just let him do it, I suppose he's had all the other rooms. I guess so. Things to do. Here they have the Whidbey Island Fair, and it is in its hundredth year this year. Oh, they have a parade and a livestock auction. And from what I can see, it looked like some kind of rodeo. And it also has a lot of performers. There's a pie eating contest. There's a lot of performers, including the wandering performers, which you just have to see some of the pictures of these people. There's an old lady doing lasso tricks.
Jimmy Whisman
And she just wanders around doing them.
James Petregallo
Karen Quest with her cowgirl trick. She looks like she's 85 years old.
Jimmy Whisman
She does. It's the trick that she's walking.
James Petregallo
Paul Isaac, some dickhead juggler. It looks like Adam the Great doing a magic show. Obviously. This asshole and his puppet, Jerry Breeden. This dickhead in a giant green foam cowboy hat juggling bowling pins. Ren the juggler.
Jimmy Whisman
Cookies aren't stilts, James.
James Petregallo
Oh, I'm sure he is on stilts. Yeah. He's taller than the tent, for fuck's sake. Coventry and Kaluza, which is a tiny girl and a tall guy. And it features juggling, acrobatics, music, comedy, hula hooping and dog tricks.
Jimmy Whisman
Everything's entertainment and this thing and that.
James Petregallo
Do you want bubbles, Matt Henry?
Jimmy Whisman
Bubbles are big.
James Petregallo
This is amazing. Do you want bubbles? Matt Henry has all the bubbles. Big ones, small ones, and all sizes in between. There he is.
Jimmy Whisman
Look at it.
James Petregallo
All the bubbles. Keep an eye out for your favorite princesses and superheroes walking around. And then this guy, Jerry Harris will mesmerize and entertain during his hypnosis shows each day. He's dressed.
Jimmy Whisman
That's got me hypnotized.
James Petregallo
He's dressed like Conway Twitty and he's gonna hypnotize me. Focus. I can't focus on anything but your shirt, dude. It's busy.
Jimmy Whisman
Sarah. The paisleys.
James Petregallo
And then the creepy. A female clown, which is even creepier than a male clown somehow. Who's the clown? Penelope the clown returns to paint faces. That's what's going. Oh, I'm sorry. And then there's also Mr. Cluckey, who's a guy with a. He's wearing a chicken on his head. And then there's also Joe Stoddard, just some guy who looks like he sings patriotic tunes.
Jimmy Whisman
This sucks.
James Petregallo
That doesn't look like a lot of fun. That said, let's talk about some murder. There's also some bands and stuff playing, but I had to show you the. Those are the people that will be wandering the crowds.
Jimmy Whisman
There's a lot of 14 year olds there with their parents going, this sucks.
James Petregallo
This sucks, man. This totally sucks. That's so funny. Let's talk about some murder. Okay. By the way, I'm going to let Ann rule channel my thoughts on this case. Because this is a case where you look at it and go, where do you start? And I had such trouble with that. And then I read part of the Ann rule book, and this is how she started. I have wondered if in their machinations can be reconstructed here in any orderly fashion. Where do I jump in and Build a foundation of sentences and paragraphs strong enough to bear the weight of everything that must be told. There are no locks that my author's keys will open easily, just as there are few threads that might be woven into a pattern that makes sense. And all she does is write true crime books that are literally 18 fucking hours long. The audio version, so.
Jimmy Whisman
And I can't bear the weight. It's. It's too much.
James Petregallo
And she's like, I don't know where to start with this shit. Like, that's exactly where I was. So I'm gonna start where I'm starting. Let's meet a young woman here, Peggy Sue Stackhouse.
Jimmy Whisman
Peggy Sue.
James Petregallo
Peggy sue, baby. Peggy Sue Stackhouse. And a lot of songs. And Stackhouse. She's stacked too. She's a six foot tall redhead.
Jimmy Whisman
Dang.
James Petregallo
Yeah, yeah, she's got. And she's pretty. A pretty six foot tall redhead who's good at basketball. So she's got a lot going on. She's born in 1965 in Washington. She's got a sister who is named Sue. So she's Peggy sue and she's got a sister named sue. And they call her sister Sweet Sue. So there's Peggy sue and Sweet Sue. Interesting. Now she has an interesting origin story. Before she even was born. Her father's first wife. So not Peggy Sue's mother. Her father's first wife was murdered by a teenage neighbor two years before she was born. Whoa. So she's born into straight murder, which is interesting. Really odd here. So she's a high school basketball star growing up, very popular. She married a reverend out of high school, which was odd, and then divorced him.
Jimmy Whisman
And she grew up here.
James Petregallo
She grew up in Washington state, but she'll end up on this island. She became a licensed beautician after that.
Jimmy Whisman
Okay.
James Petregallo
And she also then joined the US.
Jimmy Whisman
Navy as a beautician.
James Petregallo
Yeah, well, they. It's the fighting locks unit. You know how it is. You gotta. I'm the. I'm with the 102nd Fighting Permers. We get out there, we put those curlers in, we sit you under that dryer, and boy, you're something when you're done. No, she became a female, like one of the few female aircraft mechanics at the time. And served in Desert Storm too.
Jimmy Whisman
Wow.
James Petregallo
In the early 90s. So, I mean. Yeah, she did a lot. I mean, she's like fearless, this lady. She ends up marrying another fellow veteran here that she met while she was in. Which was her second marriage. They'll have two daughters and. Yeah, the guy's name was James Kelvin Thomas. So she becomes Peggy Sue Thomas and keeps that name throughout here. They had two daughters together. And. And that's how that goes now. So she gets a beautician's license when she gets out of the Navy is how it works.
Jimmy Whisman
She doesn't want to work on anything, huh?
James Petregallo
No, she gets out and doesn't want to. There's not a lot of. I guess she doesn't want to be a jet mechanic outside of she'll be.
Jimmy Whisman
A lady's head mechanic.
James Petregallo
I knew a bunch of guys in Arizona that were Air Force jet mechanics. And none of them had anything to do with airplanes in their jobs at all really. None of them. Too fucking hot. They all worked at Luke and it was like, dude, it was so hot. I want nothing to do with a Runway. No, it's so hot. So. And plus, what they have to do, like you have to crawl inside the engine and check every fan blade with a tiny flashlight, you know, Fucking. Oh, that would drive you crazy. I couldn't do that. So anyway, she ends up working as a hairstylist and a car mechanic, which is. Couldn't be more two different professions than that, you know what I'm saying? Like you cutting hair during the day. And he's like, I gotta. I gotta go rebuild a tranny at about 6 o', clock, so I got to get out of here.
Jimmy Whisman
Cooler than a gal. That can work.
James Petregallo
Oh, it's badass. Yeah.
Jimmy Whisman
And I trust them infinitely more.
James Petregallo
But I feel like they're going to. I feel like they're trying to prove that they are good at it still.
Jimmy Whisman
There's that, but there's a guy who's.
James Petregallo
Like us trying to scam you, you know what I mean, right?
Jimmy Whisman
There's. It's not also that they're just good at. They just want to fix it, right? And there's. They're not selling you bullshit. They're not trying to rotate your tires because you got 1500 miles on it.
James Petregallo
They're just general. Generally you trust male salesmen less. It's just the way it is, you know, it's just one of those things. We look at each other and like, what are you trying to pull, asshole? What are you doing? I don't know if women feel the same way about women. Maybe they do. So she has a best friend, okay, named Brenna Douglas. All right, now her and Brenna, now she'll be Brenna Douglas later. She's born Brenna Haslam. She's born. She's a few years Younger than Penny. Peggy sue here, she never left Whidbey. She's always lived here. This woman, she didn't go to college at all. And not only did she not go to college, she married her high school sweetheart, this Brenda or Brenna. I'm sorry. Named Russell Douglas. Russell with one L, by the way. Yeah, that's weird. Russell Douglas. They're the same age. They go to high school together. They don't. No one understands why they're together. Oh, they're this couple that all they do is fight from high school on. They met, like, at one of those teenage clubs. Remember the clubs that you had to be, like, under 16 to get into? That's when they met. They met there. All they do is fight. They're total opposites in personality. He very much wants to pursue higher education and do all this. She hates higher education and vows her children will never go to college. I never heard a mother say that before.
Jimmy Whisman
I will keep my kids dumb.
James Petregallo
I just want to grow up and have a family and make sure my kids don't go to college. I've never heard that before. Not that you have to go to college. There's a lot of other routes. But, I mean, I've never heard a mother go. They will never set foot on a college campus. So they get married later on, despite the fact that they're always fighting. And no one in their families understands why they're together.
Jimmy Whisman
Guaranteeing a miserable life together.
James Petregallo
It makes no sense whatsoever. They end up. Now, Russell, a little bit about Russell here. Russell Douglas is his name. Born same time, around same year as Brenna here. 71. He grew up on Whidbey island and with his mother Gail, and his stepfather. And he's got a brother and a sister. Brother Matthew, or. I'm sorry. Yeah, brother Matthew, sister Holly. And he's described as a nice kid when he was a child. A little stubborn, but, you know, a smart guy, too. He ends up graduating from college and things like that. Now, Brenna is a licensed beautician. That's what her profession is.
Jimmy Whisman
And that's how she knows our Susie.
James Petregallo
That's how she knows Peggy Sue. And that's how they're all together now. They're going. Brenna and Russell are going to have a son named Jack in late 1994, I believe. But everyone convinces them not to get married. This is okay. Most of the time when you have a kid, your parents are like, you two should get married. They're like, you two should wait a while. I think still, because they're such A bad couple.
Jimmy Whisman
Maybe you guys will get it if you just stay together and you'll understand that you hate each other.
James Petregallo
Yeah. They got married the next year, though. In 95, they get married. Then in 98, they have a daughter named Hannah as well. Now Russell is a bit of a. He's an oddball. He's a hard. He's a hard character to pin down. And that's one of the things that's tough about this story is it's really hard to know, like, if this was a movie, you'd be seeing Russell through different people's eyes. Like, if I was making a movie I would make this with. I would start in an interrogation room and I would have detectives interrogating people. And as they start talking, I would show what they're talking about and. And it would show Russell in like six different lights, like, dressed completely different, acting completely different from everybody that talks about him. It's a weird. He's a real weird guy to pin down. That's why Ann Rule had a problem with it, too.
Jimmy Whisman
So he's named Jack and Hannah. Like the zoo guy.
James Petregallo
Jack and Hannah. Yep.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah, Fascinating.
James Petregallo
So he worked in land management. He's a big computer guy. He does computer stuff for them. And he was also getting his. Pursuing his online master's degree as well. He's co owner of the hair salon, even though he doesn't work there. He does the books and shit, but Brenna does the hair and hires the stylists and all that kind of thing. He's got some depression, some mood swings, and he'll just dress in a kilt sometimes he'll wear a sarong once in a while. He's just a strange guy. He's got his own personality. That's what I'm saying. Like, if you were describing him one story, he'd be wearing a sarong, doing one thing. The next one he'd be in, like a polo shirt, working on computers. It'd be a very different. Getting very different views of this guy.
Jimmy Whisman
Poncho tied around his waist.
James Petregallo
It's so strange. 2000 comes around and Peggy sue, remember her?
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
Peggy sue gets hot. Peggy sue got overweight after the Navy and all that kind of thing. She drops 100 pounds.
Jimmy Whisman
100, 100.
James Petregallo
And wins the Miss Washington beauty pageant in 2000.
Jimmy Whisman
God damn.
James Petregallo
Yeah, she really focused herself here. How old is she at this point? She. It's the Miz. So it's like she's 35. It's like. Yeah, like for kind of.
Jimmy Whisman
Wow. Good for her to Be able to tighten it back up.
James Petregallo
Like, not bad.
Jimmy Whisman
Win something like that.
James Petregallo
After two kids and everything else. Solid work. Now. She went for another pageant in Las Vegas and fell in love with Las Vegas. She was like, this is the life, really. The lights and the action and the. Yeah, really. She must not have spent more than 14 hours there.
Jimmy Whisman
What are you doing? Did you leave the airport?
James Petregallo
Ladies, it's me. Once you get to 14 hours, you're like, so I'll come back here maybe five years from now for a minute.
Jimmy Whisman
So this is all it is. Over and over.
James Petregallo
This place is rough. She saw it and went, this is the only way to be. And she started a limo company where she's the driver. And she has this card. I'll show it to you. Peggy Sue Thomas, your personal chauffeur. Oh, and it's a limo with her all leggy, with her tits popping, sitting on the hood of the car. She's in, like, a tuxedo top kind of thing, but she's looking like, hey, you want this hot chick to drive you around? I'll do it.
Jimmy Whisman
Fascinating.
James Petregallo
So that's pretty cool. She starts that. She also, when she moves to Vegas, she rents her house in Langley, which is right next to Freeland. She rents her house to Russell and Brenna Douglas.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, yeah.
James Petregallo
That's how this all goes down. So they're all kind of involved together.
Jimmy Whisman
Sure.
James Petregallo
Russell and Brenna here have a real weird relationship, as we've discussed, but sex is a problem here. She claims that he's really, like, dirty and really deviant and likes all weird sexual practices. And she's very prude and stayed. That's what she claims. But at one point, they had a business where they sold sex toys and, like, threw sex toy parties and did demonstrations. I don't know if they were, like, nude demonstrations or whatever. She also says that he would rip on her a lot and abuse her verbally and psychologically. She says like, she says they went to a baseball game in Seattle, a Mariners game, I suppose. And there was two women in front of them that were dressed what she thought was in a trashy way. So she was remarking to him, look at these two and their doo doo shirts. Look at them and their tits hanging out and all this.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah, just ripping.
James Petregallo
And he, according to her, turned on her and said, how dare you? Maybe if you look better, you could dress like that instead. You're the fattest person in this stadium. The fattest woman in the stadium, he told her, which she wasn't. This is America, you Gotta really work at it. To be the fattest person in any group of 30,000 people, you gotta be like, where's your walker? No, I didn't think so. Back in line. Back toward the end of the line there. Fucking three bills. We got fucking six, seven bills walking down there. If you fit in that seat. You're not the fattest person in this fucking stadium, I guarantee you.
Jimmy Whisman
If you don't have to sit up top in your rascal, then yes, then.
James Petregallo
You ain't the one. But that's what she claims. That and all of that. So they. Oh, their business that they open where Peggy sue works is called Just Bees, just the letter B. Just B's salon, which is Brenna, I guess in Langley. Here. Brenna is a hairstylist. Like I said, he handles the business side. The salon is never financially sound. It's never working ever. And she, by the way, spends a lot of money. Russell's mother will say later on that she called her a shopaholic. She goes, she's. Every time she went to Costco, it was $1,000 at least. And this isn't now, this is in 2000, it was $1,000, which you had to work to spend $1,000 at Costco in 2000. They said that she one time went back with her to help her unload groceries after one of these trips and said she had multiple refrigerators and multiple big freezers and there wasn't room in any of them for their stuff that they had.
Jimmy Whisman
What the hell?
James Petregallo
But yet she still fed the kids like fast food all the time, even though they had fridges and freezers full of food that she would just get them fast food. It's a real weird. It's so much real, real strange. And also that she really is starting to envy Peggy Sue's lifestyle. She sees Peggy sue, when they started out, they were both kind of heavyset hairdressers. Now Peggy Sue's dropped 100 pounds, putting herself on the hood of a limo, living like what she sees as a glamorous life in Las Vegas, meeting high rollers, doing all this shit. And she's looking at herself like I'm a dumpy broad in Washington FL fucking cutting hair in a non financially successful business that I own. Probably the fattest lady jealousy in town. Not only in town, the fattest lady in America. No, ridiculous. There's a picture of her. She's heavyset, but she's not the fattest lady in town. You wouldn't notice her if you were walking around Walmart. It's not like you'd go, whoa, holy Jesus, I can't fit past her in the aisle. I mean, she's just kind of a heavyset lady. It's fine. I don't know why it's such a big deal. So in 2002, Peggy sue lands herself a rich playboy.
Jimmy Whisman
Here we go.
James Petregallo
And he's a weird definition of playboy is this guy. His name is James Edward Hudin. H U D E N He goes by Jim. Jim Heuden. He's 10 years or so older than her. A little more than that, maybe. He is charismatic. He's in a band. Maybe we'll tell you about the band. But he's also very successful in business. So he's like, wealthy and he's in a band that he fucks around with at the side. On the side there. So he grew up with an abusive stepfather, this Jim Hewton. He's from Whidbey Island. His stepfather abused him his whole life. Beat him unmercifully for years and years and years. And it made him a little bit off. Basically. Everybody said he was in the Navy or in the Air Force. I'm sorry. He has a wife named Jean Heuden, by the way. He still has that wife. When he's hooked up with Peggy sue, it's a straight affair. And he played guitar in a band called Buck Naked and the Exhibitionists.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, boy.
James Petregallo
With an ex Exhibitionist, by the way, other guys in that band, I'll just name you the one here. Dick Deposit was one of the guys. Dick Deposit, his name was.
Jimmy Whisman
Is that not jizz?
James Petregallo
That's what that. Well, a dick deposit would be. I'm gonna put my dick in you and deposit it inside of you. So, Dick Deposit, that's pretty fucking gross there. Weird. He's a very big time, very brilliant computer programmer who sold software shit to Microsoft and made millions and millions of dollars. So now he just fucks around, bangs women that he finds plays in bands, lives his life. He doesn't care. He's just like.
Jimmy Whisman
What he does is. Doesn't get a divorce and just goes and.
James Petregallo
No, no, no. He left Whidbey island for Florida in the late 1980s and that's. He made all his money and then he lived in Punta Gorda with his wife. But he would return to Whidbey island for a funeral. And that's where he met Peggy Sue Thomas, who they had known each other years before and they reconnected. And there we go. So now they're hooking up again. Hey, everybody. Just gonna take a Quick break from the show to tell you about some delic magic spoon magicspoon.com oh, yes. I love this sponsor because I love cereal. So they're sending me boxes of this amazing cereal that I love so much. It's delicious. Magic Spoon makes high protein zero sugar cereals and treats reinvented from your childhood. You can feel like you're nine again, except without the, without the crazy sugar buzz. It's good in adult ways. Yeah, in adult ways it's very good. I really like these cereals because they're. They taste really good too. They taste like you want them to taste like a cereal should taste. You know what I mean? They're delicious and they're just. I just like them. I am a cereal maniac and I think I've mentioned that a ton of times on the shows how much I like cereal. Every serving of Magic Spoon high protein cereal has 13 grams of protein, 0 grams of sugar and 4 grams of net carbs. They come in nostalgic flavors like fruity cocoa and frosted. You know what those are? And they're all good. Yeah, I love the cocoa. That's good stuff there. Magic spoons high protein treats are also really good. Those little bar things. Yeah.
Jimmy Whisman
Bars.
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Jimmy Whisman
Now back to the show.
James Petregallo
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Jimmy Whisman
Now back to the show.
James Petregallo
And his wife Jean is just in Florida, none the wiser basically. Wow. Yeah. Everybody describes him as like in a perennial midlife crisis. He's just from like 32 on just straight midlife crisis. Even when there's no crisis, he just has to act like it.
Jimmy Whisman
Everything's fine. He's just in crisis.
James Petregallo
Yeah. And he lives a double life basically. During the day he's a guy with, you know, khaki shorts and a polo shirt talking about his wife and software in Florida. And then he's playing in buck naked in the Exhibitionists. At night he tells his wife that he's scouting music venues for the band. When he just goes out and picks up women. She buys that. I'm going to go like that. We know like three guys. Like that. We know like three guys. If you don't know why we're laughing. This sounds exactly like somebody we know. Like exactly like someone we know.
Jimmy Whisman
Doesn't tell her anything. Just comes home and pretends like he's got a winning venture out there.
James Petregallo
That's it. Winning venture. Everything's going great. Can you write another check, please? Everything's going wonderfully.
Jimmy Whisman
I promise I won't use it. Banging somebody else in a hotel.
James Petregallo
No, never.
Jimmy Whisman
Some shit hole that I can't fucking pronounce. Anyway.
James Petregallo
So he would fly to Las Vegas to see Peggy sue and they would fucking party, by the way. This wasn't like going out for a nice dinner, sitting home, watch a movie. They'd go out, they're blowing fucking lines, they're doing coke, they're drinking all night. They're good. Having. They're going to clubs in Vegas that are open all night and drinking and partying.
Jimmy Whisman
And they're partying like they're 23.
James Petregallo
Yes. And they're 40. It's weird. You can't do that. No. And also, he's just racking up massive credit card bills because he's going and buying champagne and Coke and it's expensive. Vegas, if you want to live like that, is expensive.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
You can do it, but it's pricey. So. April of 2003, Russell and Brenna separate, which seems like it's been about 20 years in the making here. This 15 years in the making. Brenna files a restraining order against Russell, claiming that he threatened to punch her in the face. That he threatened to hold her head under hot water until she stopped moving.
Jimmy Whisman
Hot water.
James Petregallo
Hot water. I'm gonna drown you in hot water is what he just said there.
Jimmy Whisman
You're gonna burn your own hand, man.
James Petregallo
That's. Wow. That he had hit their son Jack years earlier, a while ago. Years earlier. That he neglected the children and that he was having affairs with both women and men. That's what she claims.
Jimmy Whisman
She's swinging for the fences.
James Petregallo
Oh, yeah. Yeah. We. We can't substantiate ever that he has affairs with men, but we know he has affairs with women, but we know I don't know anything about men. She gets the restraining order lifted. Two weeks later, though. But Russell moves out into a small, little, tiny one bedroom apartment in Renton, which is about 40 miles or 45 miles away. Renton. That sounds like a place where future divorced dads live. Yeah. Going to Renton. It's just a bunch of divorced dads walking around going, I'm gonna make it better. Yeah. I mean, it's not much, but, you know, I got futons for the kids and, you know, when they come on the weekends, it's gonna be fine.
Jimmy Whisman
They grabbed a handful of clothes and left.
James Petregallo
Yeah. It's like where Milhouse's dad was staying on the Simpsons, where he goes, I sleep in a race car. Do you sleep in a race car? That's what's going on. So Renton. So their separation is to give them some space to work on their marriage, is what they say. Same month here. April 2003. Peggy sue is back in town. Peggy sue is back in town. She is staying for several weeks at a house on Wall Road. Wahl. Like the Clippers. Wall Road. So she's staying next door to a house number 6665. That's the house next door to Her. Okay. Now she files a harassment complaint on behalf of one of her friends against an ex boyfriend, which I didn't think you could do. I don't know you were allowed to do that.
Jimmy Whisman
You got to be the harassed party. You can't just claim somebody's harassing people.
James Petregallo
And I know a lady who's being harassed right now. I don't think that's enough.
Jimmy Whisman
Dickhead.
James Petregallo
So Jim stays there with her for all these weeks. That's a. How many music venues must he be scouting to stay for weeks? 3,000 miles from you? So many music venues. So you know, they know this area. They walk around. They stay here for weeks. Now of July 2003, Russell has a lady on the side here. Her name is Marge Bailey and she's about 50 years old. Significantly older than him.
Jimmy Whisman
Her name's Marge.
James Petregallo
Her name's Marge. Marge. The 50 year old he's banging now. Things are going great at home. Obviously, if you're banging Marge, who's 20 years older than you. So she. This really pisses Brenna off. She knows about it and it really pisses her off that they're so. That she's old, basically.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
How dare he fuck an older woman? And I mean, he's like depressed and alone. He's sitting in an apartment in Renton, you know, all that kind of thing. You could see how it could happen here. But he meets her at the Beach House Tavern in Ocean Shores. That's where he meets old Marge. She's been married. She's like 51 years old. And been married four times.
Jimmy Whisman
Yep.
James Petregallo
Twice to the same guy.
Jimmy Whisman
A lot of rum and coke, that lady?
James Petregallo
Yeah. Any woman who's been married twice to the same guy, drinks a lot of rum and coke. They dance until 5am 5am dancing. Jesus. That's a little much for a 50 year old, don't you think? Good Christ. I'm not doing that. And I'm not 50. I'm still not doing that.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah, I can imagine though. Dancing they're doing. It's just a little. They're just. Yeah.
James Petregallo
Maybe there's like one of those quiet reggae bands that you just kind of. Just kind of bopping back. Feet don't move. You just kind of sway.
Jimmy Whisman
Do that rum and coke sway.
James Petregallo
Yeah, yeah. Now, Marge describes Russell as shy, gentle, goofy, respectful and considerate. They're gonna see each other about four to five times a week. So they are horny. They're horny. They talk for hours, though, about real estate. They talk about starting a business, about taking a vacation. To Hawaii or Australia. Oh yeah. She says she never sees him drunk. He never yells at her. He's never abusive or violent or anything. He's just a nice guy. Fall of 2003. The hair salon is really taking a shit. It's going deeper and deeper into debt because Russell isn't doing the finances anymore. Brenna can't manage the QuickBooks. She does not know how QuickBooks work. It has no idea how to do accounting at all. So that's a problem. And bills start to pile up. Things go unpaid. And you need someone who knows what they're doing in that respect.
Jimmy Whisman
100%.
James Petregallo
November of 2003. Jim Heuden, okay, Peggy Sue's boyfriend here, he gets a.380 Bersa Thunder pistol. All right, he buys it. He's robbing liquor stores. Well, no, he's actually. He's got a very specific reason for why he wants this. He approaches a friend of his, a guy named Keith Ogden, who's a former cop in Las Vegas, and tells him that he needs to shoot pigeons that are pooping all over his back patio. I got a.380 to shoot pigeons. Who are you could get a pellet gun. I got a.22 pellet gun. That would destroy those fucking pigeons. I mean, blow their little skulls apart. You do not need a.380 for that.
Jimmy Whisman
A380 is how you get $88 out.
James Petregallo
Of a liquor store. That's how you do that. Exactly.
Jimmy Whisman
That's all it's for.
James Petregallo
That is all it's for. This is. Yeah, you don't need this for pigeons. But he's going to teach those fucking pigeons. He's going to teach those pigeons a lesson.
Jimmy Whisman
I think it's illegal to fire that in city limits.
James Petregallo
I'm sure it is, but it can't be legal. I think he's basically saying, I'm going to make an example out of the first one and the rest are going to know what's up. When they see that pigeon explode into a pile of just feathers floating down, they'll take off. They know.
Jimmy Whisman
Slick headed Jesus.
James Petregallo
So Ogden teaches Jim to shoot in his backyard. They fired six or seven rounds into the dirt using a plastic Coke bottle as a makeshift shift silencer. So neighbors won't complain about them shooting off weapons in city limits. He said that for someone that was in the Air Force, Jim seems pretty inexperienced with weapons. You think he would know how to at least handle a pistol a little better if he's in the military now? Late 2003, Russell and Brenna are going to try to make their marriage work.
Jimmy Whisman
Why?
James Petregallo
This is strictly for kids. This is one of those things where we have two kids. Let's try to make it work because they don't like each other. They have nothing in common. They grew apart years before they were even married. They had already grown apart. So there's no point except to try to make a life for the kids, which is, I guess, to be. I don't know, to be admired in a way, if you can pull off the charade. But if all you do is fight, you're making it worse for your kids. I feel like at that point it's not helping them any.
Jimmy Whisman
The whole point is to make two happy homes, not one angry home.
James Petregallo
Yeah, yeah. Either one happy one or two happy ones. Either way, better than one angry one. So early December 2003, Russell ends his affair with the. With old long and the tooth Marge there. So he tells her that Brenna is the one, my wife is the one, and I need to try to save his marriage. Why? For the good of my children, he tells her and decides that they're gonna take Christmas to try to spend Christmas as a family and see if they can reconcile this whole thing, which anyone should be able to get along around Christmas. It's. You know what I mean? You get along with family members you hate at Christmas time. It's. You have to. So. December 23rd. Russell arrives at Brenna's home for the Christmas holiday. They're going to stay together over this holiday. He is excited and hopeful. Brenda said, or Brenna will later say she was less enthusiastic but willing to try. Peggy sue claims that. Peggy sue will claim that she met Russell at his apartment that night even though he was in. In Langley. She says she met him at his apartment to give him a gift. She says that he was wearing spandex shorts and a bandana. Very attractive for a man in his 30s. Says he seemed happy and excited about spending Christmas with his family. That's what she claims. But there's no proof of this. That'll tie in later. I mean, the story is a pretzel within a kaleidoscope. It's just a mess. December 24th, Christmas Eve. Brenna takes Russell's car, which is a bright eye, fucking searingly yellow GEO tracker is what this man drives.
Jimmy Whisman
Really?
James Petregallo
Yes. In the early 2000s, he's got one of those tiny 90s geo trackers.
Jimmy Whisman
Those are meant to compete with the Samurai, I think, but it had like a hardtop on it. It didn't even take the Whole top off.
James Petregallo
I mean, they're both pieces of shit. So, yeah, they'll both tip over if you drive them. Weird. They're both carpet.
Jimmy Whisman
They both compete with trash compactors.
James Petregallo
Yeah. For the adults who want to drive a toy market. That's what they have here. Oh, God. So she goes out to buy pies and stuff for Christmas dinner. Other stuff that she needs. Odds and ends. The family is going to prepare for the Christmas holiday. December 25, Christmas morning, the family opens their presents. By the way, there's a fight about that.
Jimmy Whisman
What?
James Petregallo
Traditionally, the way they did it is they ate breakfast and then opened the presents. That's how they did their. Everyone's got a different Christmas routine that they do. You know what I mean? Some people just dive right in. She this time told Russell, we're not doing that. You can wait for your breakfast. This is about the kids opening their presents.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, we're opening them right now.
James Petregallo
We're opening them now. Russell bought Jack an Xbox. Adam.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
Jack is pumped, as you can imagine, as any 8 year old would be who got an Xbox for Christmas. Now he also buys Brenna a gift that she is massively pissed about. Okay. Massively pissed. She's the one. Because she says she wants to take it slow with him. So he buys her lingerie. A box of flavored condoms. You'll be sucking my dick tonight is what that says. Merry Christmas.
Jimmy Whisman
Put this on your fat pig.
James Petregallo
Yeah, I know you won't suck it unless it tastes like cake. So that's what this one tastes like. That's like what? Is that what you're telling her?
Jimmy Whisman
Birthday cake?
James Petregallo
Condoms? Yeah.
Jimmy Whisman
Put it in your mouth.
James Petregallo
These are chocolate chip cookie dough flavored condoms. I think you'll like them, which is ridiculous. And a sex swing.
Jimmy Whisman
Jesus Christ.
James Petregallo
This is. Okay, you can buy your wife that number one if things are going well. But you have to buy them like a Christmas present, a regular one. And then like, I got a private Christmas present for you too, for later. This isn't all you're getting.
Jimmy Whisman
Jack, open that up. Here, baby, open this in front of the kids.
James Petregallo
He put a sex swing under the tree. You can't do that. This is crazy.
Jimmy Whisman
Holy.
James Petregallo
So. Jesus. We gotta hurry. We're gonna run out of time. This story. God damn it. So Brenna here, that afternoon, her stepfather comes over. Cause her mother had died. Brenna's mother died. So her stepfather comes over and has Christmas dinner with them. He leaves. Russell and Jack play Xbox while Brenna and Hannah watch a movie. And then the kids go to Bed. And Russell and Brenna watch Bad Boys 2 together in their bedroom. I swear to God, that's what happened.
Jimmy Whisman
Nothing stops a Christmas argument like bad boys.
James Petregallo
Every time they're known as the Settlers, they settle every argument. The Reconcilers. That's the subtitle. So December 26th, in the morning before 10:45am Brenna and Russell actually have sex. No lingerie swings or flavored condoms involved. But she will say that she made him wear protection because he's been banging Marge and she thinks that he's banging men too. So they have breakfast with the children. Russell is in a good mood. He thinks things are going well. He just had sex with his wife. He thinks things are going fine. 10:45, he kisses everybody goodbye, says he's going to go run some errands and will tell Brenna. Will later tell Brenner that he might be going surfing. He said yeah. So he waves as he backs out in his Geo Tracker, his yellow Geo tracker, and takes off singing. Bad boys, Bad boys, Bad boys. Yeah. So between 11 and 11.30am, a wall road resident, the same street that Peggy sue was staying on a few months back there, Diane Bailey, sees a yellow GEO tracker driving slowly through the neighborhood. Now I'll tell you, I'm pretty sure that he's probably the only yellow GEO tracker on this island. I'm just gonna say. You know what I'm saying? So the vehicle entered her driveway where her Volvo. Volvo was parked and then backed out. So it was driving slow, speeding up. Looks like it's looking for an address.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah, probably making a U turn right now. Yeah.
James Petregallo
Yep. So about 11:30 to noon, Russell heads to 6665 Wall Road, which is next, next door to where Peggy sue was staying months ago. The family who owns this property is the Black family. They're in Costa Rica for a vacation, for the holiday. But they also have their kids, teachers, families staying in one of their cabins on the, on the property as a vacation caretaker or whatever. It's a long just for a vacation for them, for the Christmas holiday. It's a long gravel driveway that leads to all of these Douglas fir trees that make a real dark overhang at the end of the, at the, toward the house. So there's two women at 4:30 walking, and they see the yellow tracker. They are cutting across this yard, this property, to get to a beach. They see the yellow GEO tracker in the driveway with its door open, interior light on. Okay. Passenger side door open, interior light on. They didn't approach it, but they were like that's weird. And they said if it's. They don't know if there's somebody staying at the black house or they have no idea. So they said if it's still there tomorrow with the door open, we'll call the cops. But otherwise, who cares. Later, Brenna says she tried to call Russell, wondering where he was. And she says that she thought he'd blown her off and gone surfing. So he never comes home, just disappears. So December 27th, the next day at 4pm, Joseph Doucet is out walking with his kids, trying to burn off Christmas energy like is literally making them run around. They spot a bright yellow GEO Tracker. Same driveway with its door open and it's dome light on still 24 hours after it was seen the first time he called. Yeah, well he. That's what I'm gonna say. This geo's were no shit with the battery. He calls out, nobody answers. So then he approaches slowly, tells the kids to stay back. He said he was gonna go close the door of this car because he thought, you know, somebody probably just went and left their door open, their battery's gonna be dead. So he's gonna be a decent neighbor and close the door. As he approaches, he saw a figure slumped over the steering wheel. Oh, with sandy blond hair. He said there was blood everywhere. On the seatbelt, on the steering wheel. The seatbelt is on the guy, but it's not buckled.
Jimmy Whisman
Okay.
James Petregallo
Oh, the truck is off, but in reverse. It's in gear in reverse to back out of this driveway. There's blood all over the place. There is sunglass remnants all over the place too. Because this person has been shot right between the eyes, dead center between the eyes. His hands were balled into fists in his lap. The transmission, like we said in reverse. Parking brake engaged. As if he was gonna, you know, turn it on, pop the thing and go. So this guy calls the cops, obviously he doesn't just keep walking, they get there. Everybody when they get there just assumes it's a suicide because it's just past Christmas. This is the time they find the most suicides. Driven into a stranger's house, under some trees, secluded. One single shot to the head. You know what I mean? It seems like probably a suicide. And they don't have a lot of murders around here either. So they're like, ah, this guy. Problem is they don't. There's no note or anything like that. And they search everywhere. There's no gun, no gun. So they're like, okay, well you can't shoot yourself in the Forehead without a gun.
Jimmy Whisman
Right. Would you do that through the sunglasses? You know what I mean?
James Petregallo
That's the other thing. Wouldn't you take your sunglasses off first? So they look in his wallet, which is still on him, and it's Russell, 32 years old, single gunshot wound between the eyebrows. Blood everywhere. Blood spatter patterns indicate the seat belt was. Was across him during the shooting. It's a.380 shell that they find also. We'll talk about that. The problem is they think it's a suicide for like a day until they can't find a gun. And then they're like, okay, it's not a suicide. And once they get him into the medical examiner, the angle's wrong on a suicide anyway. The bullet traveled from front to back slightly upward from less than 12 inches away, which is not how you would shoot yourself. Holding it out, you put it against yourself. So by 10:15pm they go to notify Brenna. And one of the detectives knows Brenna personally. She babysat his kids and like his wife went to her hair salon. They all know each other. It's a small place, it's not a big place. 2000 people in this town and this corner of the island itself. It's a bunch of little towns. So they arrive at the home. She answers wearing her night clothes and shit because it's 10 something. And she invites them in. She asks no questions about why you're here right now. Nothing. Cops at your house at 10:45 at night. You don't even ask why they're here, which is weird.
Jimmy Whisman
They asked what's up? Yeah.
James Petregallo
Nope. They asked about her relationship with Russell. She answered, but she's just very flat affected. And everything she says is a negative spin on it too. The other weird thing that the detectives found is when they first got there, on the door was a note to Russell. Oh, saying we went out, me and the kids went out. Oh, and she left it on the door.
Jimmy Whisman
She didn't take that down before the cops got there?
James Petregallo
No. And she said, last time I saw him was before noon yesterday. I called him several times. He didn't answer. I figured he went surfing and he blew me off, basically. And surfing. People do go surfing, even in the winter there. It's a thing. If you have a wetsuit, you can do it, apparently. Yeah. Which is crazy. Hey everybody. Just gonna take a quick break from the show and tell you a better way to eat.
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Jimmy Whisman
Now back to the show.
James Petregallo
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Jimmy Whisman
Now back to the show.
James Petregallo
So she says they were separated. She gives the whole story about everything. She also says nothing positive about him. Essentially all negative. He's a deviant sexual monster. He's this, he's that. It's real weird for some. By the way, for one of those.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
She still hasn't said, why are you here? Oh, through the whole thing, she said, I just couldn't accept his deviant lifestyle. That's why they were apart. She said that he was cruel and he would be open about sharing his lifestyle. She knew about an older woman who lived in Tacoma. That's Marge. She's around 50, I think. She works for a telecom company. Russell sometimes tries to tell me about how he parties and has sex with her. I think he does it just to get to me. They said, where do you think he is now? What do you think has happened to him? And she said, I don't know. She said, I talked to his sister. She lives in Everett. We're good friends. I want her to take her a birthday present. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. She said they went shopping and to see the movie Hook, which. Did they re release that for a Christmas thing? Yeah.
Jimmy Whisman
That's late, right?
James Petregallo
Yeah, the Dustin Hoffman Robin Williams movie when he. Robin Williams is Peter Pan. But she said, by the way, still didn't ask, why are you here at all?
Jimmy Whisman
She still doesn't know that.
James Petregallo
Then they said after a while they talked about. She kept talking about how I have a lot of friends, but he doesn't have any friends and all this type of shit. Then they said, are you surprised that we're here tonight? And she said, yes and no. I don't know where he is. He just came into my life a couple weeks ago. And they said, is he physically abusive? And she said, no, not so much. He did some pushing. Okay, okay. They said, do you own any guns? And she said, yeah, I do. I got a.22 caliber pistol. And she went in her bedroom, came back and showed it. She said her home had been broken into recently and her stepfather. Well, she thinks it was Russell, by the way, who burglarized the house. And my stepfather gave me this. I've only fired it once. That's what she said. She still has not said, why are you here asking me this? And they said, do you know why we're here, Brenna? And she said, no, not really. And they said Russell was found dead in his car this afternoon.
Jimmy Whisman
We're not looking for him.
James Petregallo
Yeah. And she says, oh. That's her response. Oh. And they were like. They waited. They're like, is she in shock? What's going on? Oh. But she never. She didn't even ask what happened. After a few more minutes of talking, they said he was shot in the head. Because they were, like, waiting for her to ask, how did it happen? Because that's normal. They thought maybe she was in shock for a second. She needed a few minutes. She just never asked.
Jimmy Whisman
Wow.
James Petregallo
They said she just sat there in silence, didn't say anything.
Jimmy Whisman
Most people don't because they know.
James Petregallo
And then she kept going on and talking about that Russell likes to party and he cheats and all this shit. She just ignored the fact that he's dead. She said, I couldn't accept his sexual ideas. He thought whatever he saw on the Internet was normal. And they said, did you Ever participate in any of those sexual activities? And she said, no, absolutely not. Of course not. So, you know, I wouldn't do that. Super fucking weird. She says he downloads pornography and he tries to join swingers clubs and downloads pornography. And he wears kilts and sarongs and all sorts of weird shit. And he gave me a sex swing and flavored condoms. And so anyway, the detective said Prentice seemed calm, showing little concern for why we were there at such a late hour, wanting to talk to her about her husband. The next day, she goes to the police station to talk to them again. They go to her to the his apartment. They find it's got hardly anything there. Surfboard leaning against the bedroom wall. Which means he didn't go fucking surfing. No, we know that. They find empty laptop cases. Then two days later, his laptop miraculously appears back in its case. Oh, he didn't see that. Interesting. Russell's brother found a laptop in one of the previously empty cases. The detective tells, because Brenna calls saying that, oh, I have a laptop. His brother found it and they said, well, don't touch it. Preserve the fingerprints. Just leave it alone. When they got it, it was not a print on the keyboard. Mouse casing, nothing.
Jimmy Whisman
White paper, like it's never been used.
James Petregallo
January 2004 comes along. Brenna files insurance claims for two policies on Russell. $200,000 through AIG and three to $400,000 through Farmer.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, boy. Almost a million dollars.
James Petregallo
Fuck yeah. She told the investigators initially she didn't know about any policies, except maybe a small one at Russell's work. But it's not small, so that's interesting. She also hires an attorney, refuses to take polygraph tests, and stops talking to the police completely.
Jimmy Whisman
That doesn't look guilty at all.
James Petregallo
No, I would say. February 18, 2004, they email Russell's brother and said Brenna has stopped cooperating completely. She won't call me back. I don't know why this happened. I got a suspicion that $600,000 of life insurance is a lot. Jim heads back to Florida to reunite with his wife and tells Peggy sue he's recommitting himself to his marriage. Jim Heuden. May 2004. Detectives discover phone calls between Russell and a Las Vegas number belonging to Peggy Sue Thomas. Three calls on December 23rd, multiple calls on the 20th through the 26th. So they call Peggy sue because they didn't even know she existed up until this point. She says. Yeah. She says she was trying to give Russell a Christmas gift for Brenna and claims she met him on the 23rd at his apartment and gave him the gift, which we know isn't true. July 26, 2004. This is seven months later.
Jimmy Whisman
No shit.
James Petregallo
Finally, a tip in the case comes in. A guy named Bill Hill calls the cops.
Jimmy Whisman
Bill Hill?
James Petregallo
Bill Hill is a member of Buck Naked and the Exhibitionists. And he says that, quote, I have information, but I'm scared to talk about it. He says his best friend, Jim Heuden told him that he killed a guy in Whidbey Island. In Whidbey? Up there. He says he shot someone in Whidbey island around Christmas using a.380 handgun. And the guy. And he said he couldn't find the shell casing. By the way, they found the shell casing wedged in the door of the Geo Tracker. That's why. So Jim tried to find it. She said that Peggy Thomas lured him to that address, saying, meet me here. I have a gift for Brenna. That's why all those calls came in. Peggy sue did that. Then also, he says that Brenna knew it was going to happen. This was all a big. Because Peggy sue and Jim wouldn't kill him on. On their own.
Jimmy Whisman
They had no reason to, apparently.
James Petregallo
He said that Brennan was going to keep most of the insurance money, giving Jim $50,000 and giving a cut to Peggy sue as well.
Jimmy Whisman
Sure.
James Petregallo
Okay. It was all they. It was because that Jim told his friend that Brenna said that he was abusive and he had an abusive stepfather and he didn't like guys like that. So he'd kill him for 50 grand even though he didn't have the money.
Jimmy Whisman
10%.
James Petregallo
Oh my God, not even 10%. He said that this bandmate mate said I was having a hard time dealing with what I knew. And the reason I made that first call was I needed to know if it was really true. So yeah, Peggy sue lured him there, which is fucking crazy. He tells him what went down. Russell pulled into the parking spot at a right angle to the driveway, put the transmission in reverse, set the parking brake to get a quick departure. After he grabs the gift, he said a figure Jim moved from the woods, came out of the woods. Russell was wearing his sunglasses still and couldn't make out the figure who it was. By the way, he's the same height as Peggy Sue. They're both six feet tall. And he said the person this is Jim rushed to the driver's side door before he could get his seatbelt off even. And it was Jim. And Jim shot him in the forehead with a.380.
Jimmy Whisman
Wow.
James Petregallo
Yep. That's what happened? He said Jim opened the driver's door to confirm the kill and then fled. He couldn't find the shell casing because it was lodged between the seat and door frame. So August of 2004, the investigators go to Florida to talk to him. But the problem is, fucking. There's massive. Two hurricanes that month, Charlie and Francis, that fuck everything up. They talk to Peggy sue as well. When they go to talk to her, they find her house had lines of cocaine laid out on the dining room mirror, and they found meth in her car.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
She claims she bought it from a, quote, toothless hooker. That's redundant.
Jimmy Whisman
In it.
James Petregallo
Yeah, she said that the 26th, she has an alibi. She said she and Jim took the noon ferry from Whidbey to Port Townsend, drove to Vancouver for dinner with her sister. At 6, Jim went out for Swisher Sweet cigars, which just means you're rolling blunts. Nobody smokes those while she did laundry. Now, the investigations are all fucked up due to these hurricanes. They can't get down to Florida to find Jim. So what Jim does. Oh, by the way, August 19th, after all this comes out in the newspaper, that they are suspects.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
They get another call from Keith Ogden in New Mexico saying, I think I have a murder weapon. Oh, who's Keith? Keith is the guy who helped him fire the gun for the pigeons.
Jimmy Whisman
Right, with the coke bottle.
James Petregallo
Yeah, he left the gun with this guy.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, my God.
James Petregallo
So he said Jim asked him about guns and claimed he needed to shoot pigeons. And he said that Jim asked him to hold the gun for safekeeping in January because Peggy's daughters were around. And so he remembers when Jim gave him the gun, he said Peggy's mother had just called to say someone they knew on Whidbey island had been murdered. So. Yeah. So they find that the.380, they have that in their possession now. And they said that we have reason to believe Jim Hewden did not act alone and there may be multiple motives. Also. This is confirmed by ballistics to be the murder weapon. They dig the bullets out of Jim's backyard as well. Or, I'm sorry, Keith's backyard.
Jimmy Whisman
Bummer. You just left evidence in the fucking yard.
James Petregallo
Yup. Then they find phone records. Between showing the Russell and Peggy sue calls and all that kind of shit, Jim disappears. He took off to Mexico. Gone. Absolutely gone. He took $5,000 cash. He took a Greyhound bus. He had an ID, a gun, a bottle of Crown Royal, and 5,000 in cash. That is quite the go bag right there, man. Wow.
Jimmy Whisman
That was his life sentence in fucking Mexico.
James Petregallo
He settles in Veracruz under the name Jim Martin and has everyone call him Maestro Jim, which is hilarious. Grows his hair out long, wears sunglasses, teaches guitar and plays guitar in local bands. Gene, his wife visits him a bunch of times, sends him money, but then has her phone tapped by the feds, and that's how they know that she's down there. Okay. 2005, Brenna receives $400,000 of an insurance payout. Uses the money to buy a car and a house. 2006, she loses the house to foreclosure after she doesn't pay any more mortgage payments. 2006, Peggy sue got married. Like the movie again, right? Absolutely. She marries a wealthy rancher, son of oil tycoon Bill Allen and owner of Kentucky Derby winner Mine that bird in 2009. Kentucky Derby winner.
Jimmy Whisman
She is. She have expensive taste.
James Petregallo
The marriage is short, but she gets a hell of a good payout afterwards, so she's fine. She originally moved into his ranch in Roswell. She quit her limousine driving job, of course. 2007, Jim is performing in public in Mexico. Wow. One guy that he was playing with said he loved this area. He would come in here and sit for hours. Everybody liked him. He was a blues player and a bluesman. Never had any problems. January or July 2008, Jim is featured on America's Most Wanted, saying that, you know, we know he's in Mexico. Early 2011, Gene, his wife, is arrested in Florida. Betting theft, forged checks, and drug charges. Oh, God.
Jimmy Whisman
She's an asshole, too.
James Petregallo
She's facing tons of charges, so she makes a deal, leniency in exchange for Jim's location. So she does. June 9, 2011, Jim is caught in Mexico.
Jimmy Whisman
Wow.
James Petregallo
2011.
Jimmy Whisman
That is so long.
James Petregallo
So long. He's finally fucking caught. His brother said, I haven't heard from him in years. He said, it's very bizarre to me. By the way, 48 hours goes down there because in the place he was staying, there's a locked cabinet. So 48 hours is gonna do like a Geraldo going into Capone's vault thing. They bring the whole camera crew down there. They get a locksmith, they open it up. A single drumstick. Not the ice cream cone, just one drumstick.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, damn it.
James Petregallo
That's what was in there. At least the ice cream cone. You could eat the ice cream cone.
Jimmy Whisman
We can all share it.
James Petregallo
Oh, man. Then they found, like, hidden in something. They found notebooks, and they were like, here it is. It was just music stuff.
Jimmy Whisman
It's just how to play runaway.
James Petregallo
Him practicing Spanish also. Him like writing Spanish phrases. And the only in English that he had a list and it said, no alcohol. No white stuff run in place. No eating after 7:30pm Fruits, vegetables, water.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
So that's it. They found his driver's license and shit down there. Wow. His bandmates said it's jaw dropping. Is it jaw dropping? One said. And I think it was alcohol that had a big part in it. But you've got to. You've got to also have a streak of evil to do something like that.
Jimmy Whisman
I've been drunk, man.
James Petregallo
I mean, that's what I'm saying.
Jimmy Whisman
That's crazy.
James Petregallo
July 9, 2011, Peggy sue gets arrested. Not married this time. Now she's arrested. That's a much different. Nicolas Cage wasn't in that one. She gets arrested. By the way, the license plate, her Nevada license plate said it was F I R Y R E D, fiery red. That's her fucking license plate. She is arrested in New Mexico on her houseboat, called off the hook, charged with first degree murder. And her bail will be reduced later on, though. Yeah. So the evidence, Peggy Sue's fingerprints are on a gun manual that Jim had, apparently. And they have methamphetamine in her car. So they have some shit to hold her on. She's released on bail in September. She makes 500 grand bail. She really got that husband good. So January 2012, Peggy Sue's half sister dies. And she was gonna be a big witness in this case. So they thought maybe foul play, but then it's natural causes. It turns out she died by July 2012. They're gonna take Jim to trial here. They said, we'll give you a deal. You testify against Peggy sue and especially Brenna, who's the one who benefited from all this, and you get a reduced sentence. And he said, go fuck yourselves. Really? He went to trial for first degree premeditated murder with aggravating circumstances.
Jimmy Whisman
Idiot.
James Petregallo
Oh, yeah. Which was victim particularly vulnerable or incapable of resistance because he was seat belted into a car and that he was armed with a firearm. Bill Hill, the guy, his bandmate who ratted on him, he said he had to testify. He said it was guilt that made me call. I just knew too much. And then he said about seeing Jim in court. It was a scary situation. I couldn't look at him the whole time I was on the stand. His wife Jean testifies against him and said that he and Peggy and Brenna planned on this killing. They planned it out. He told me. He also said at One point he wanted to know what it was like to kill somebody. Which blew my mind. But she said, to be honest, I think he did it more for the thrill of killing someone. He thought it made him feel like a man. Verdict comes in less than four hours of deliberation.
Jimmy Whisman
He's in so much trouble.
James Petregallo
He's in so much trouble. Guilty of first degree murder. He's seen mouthing to his attorney. I'm done. Yeah, yeah, you're fucked. During sentencing, all the family comes out and you know, Russell's family and they're all obviously have a lot to say. His mom says in one split second, you pulled the trigger and you killed Russ and you changed our lives and futures forever. The judge said, I too, like many of the victims families, would like to know why. There's something more, you know, we all know it, but you refuse to speak. So you, sir, may fuck off. 80 years in prison. How's that?
Jimmy Whisman
Think about it a while.
James Petregallo
Standard range was 24 to 32 years.
Jimmy Whisman
Holy shit.
James Petregallo
The aggravators got him good.
Jimmy Whisman
Yeah.
James Petregallo
And Peggy sue does interviews. I'm. You know, I'm innocent. You know, whatever. Jim said, I'm sorry I got you involved. Just know that I love you and you'll never see me again. Yeah. She was asked what type of innocent person takes a deal because she is offered a deal. Peggy sue pleads guilty to rendering criminal assistance.
Jimmy Whisman
That's a fun movie.
James Petregallo
It's a better one. Peggy sue renders criminal assistance. Isn't the same movie. Pleads guilty as part of the agreement. No matter what new evidence comes out, she can never be charged with murder for this case, no matter what. Even if it says you pulled the trigger? No.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh my God.
James Petregallo
Sentencing you, Ms. Washington, may fuck off. Four years in prison. Four. One, two, three, four.
Jimmy Whisman
Stop it.
James Petregallo
Four years. That includes a three year firearm enhancement, by the way.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh, my God.
James Petregallo
The judge expressed regret at the short sentence. Saying. Saying that it was shockingly short. Jim's sister yell or I'm sorry, not Jim. Russell's sister said, I'm sure they'll like all that plastic surgery in prison.
Jimmy Whisman
Okay. Yeah.
James Petregallo
The prosecutor summed it up well in terms of just looking at the human behaviors. It's a succotash of greed, madness, depression, addiction and power. It really defies simple explanation.
Jimmy Whisman
Wow.
James Petregallo
I would say the book is called Practice to Deceive. The Ann rule book. Jim is going to appeal his shit, but he's dead to rights. It's Peggy sue appeals as well that gets thrown out, but it doesn't matter because she's paroled in August of 2016. She maintains her innocence to this day, calling the whole thing just poor taste in men.
Jimmy Whisman
Okay, Peg.
James Petregallo
Wow. Jim remains at the Washington State Penitentiary, eligible for parole in 2085 when he's 127 years. Brenna was never charged with shit. She got hundreds of thousands of dollars and not one fucking day in jail.
Jimmy Whisman
Why would Peggy do organize this with. How would they know?
James Petregallo
Who knows?
Jimmy Whisman
What the fuck are they doing?
James Petregallo
She changed her name back to Haslam and works in a hair salon, so.
Jimmy Whisman
Oh my God.
James Petregallo
Fucking crazy. Okay, quickly. That was a long one. So quickly we gotta rush through here to the end. Hope you liked the show. If you did, definitely get on whatever app you're on. Give us five stars. Tell the world about it. Follow us Smalltown murder on Instagram. Small town pot on Facebook. You can Definitely get Patreon. Patreon.com crimeinsports shut upandgivemerder.com is the site to get your tickets. Patreon gets you all the bonus stuff you want plus a shout out plus ad free. You know how it goes there. Sign up for that. Patreon.com CrimeInSports keep coming back and hanging out with us. This story could have been an entire long episode. Cause it's insane.
Jimmy Whisman
But Peggy sue forever.
James Petregallo
We can pick on Peggy sue for the rest of eternity. I feel like she's. And Jim too. What an idiot.
Jimmy Whisman
Asshole.
James Petregallo
Yeah. This guy, he got really just for the thrill of it and he got everything on it.
Jimmy Whisman
He got railroaded. I mean, he did it, but he took the brunt of everything for everybody.
James Petregallo
He took everything on this. He took it all. So man. There you go everybody. Hope you enjoyed the show. Thank you so much. You wanna follow us on social media, Shut up and give me. Murder is the place to find that. Do that, follow us, hang out with us. And until next week, everybody, it has been our pleasure. This is one of the most spectacular venues with all kinds of character and hospitality scenery.
Jimmy Whisman
These people in this Kitty task valley.
James Petregallo
They love when you come to see what they have to offer.
Jimmy Whisman
I'm JJ Harrison, Ellensburg Rodeo clown and.
James Petregallo
I want to invite you to the rodeo.
Jimmy Whisman
Come hang out with us in Ellensburg.
James Petregallo
Great rodeo, great time. Two performances on Saturday.
Jimmy Whisman
One is the extreme bulls of the year event.
James Petregallo
Do not miss the Ellensburg Rodeo August 29th through September 1st. We'll see you there.
Episode Date: August 22, 2025
Hosts: James Pietragallo & Jimmie Whisman
James and Jimmie take listeners to Freeland, Washington, offering an in-depth, darkly comedic exploration of the infamous murder of Russell Douglas—a case entangled with jealousy, greed, a beauty queen, a coke-snorting software millionaire in a band, and a web of small-town relationships. The episode blends detailed crime storytelling, character sketches, local color, and plenty of riffs, all while distilling a convoluted tragedy into a gripping narrative.
[04:04–11:22]
[12:28–25:47]
[33:57–47:32]
[47:32–63:03]
[65:17–68:50]
[68:50–77:10]
“It’s a succotash of greed, madness, depression, addiction and power. It really defies simple explanation.” [77:10]
The hosts blend detailed research, incredulous riffs, and snappy one-liners in chronicling an almost unbelievable murder-for-profit plot. The tone is irreverent, sharp, and peppered with genuine shock at both the criminal’s stupidity and lack of consequences for central conspirators.
“It’s all just a mess of jealousy, greed, and the worst judgment ever…And in the end, the murderer goes away for life, the beauty queen for four years, and the mastermind doesn’t even get charged.” – episode summary
Highly recommended for anyone who wants a rollercoaster true-crime story vividly told—and made sense of through comedy.
(All ads, promos, and outros omitted as per instructions.)