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Jury finds Huden guilty of first-degree murder on South Whidbey

By BEN WATANABE
South Whidbey Record Sports, South Whidbey School District, South Whidbey Fire/EMS
July 23, 2012 · Updated 2:54 PM 

COUPEVILLE - An Island County Superior Court jury Monday morning found James Huden guilty of the Christmastime 2003 murder of Russel Douglas.

Judge Vickie Churchill read the verdict at 11:15 a.m. today. The jury found Huden guilty of first-degree murder with a weapon and a particularly vulnerable victim. The jury ruled that Douglas was vulnerable at the time because he was seated and buckled in his Chevrolet Geo Tracker when he pulled onto a driveway off Wahl Road in Freeland, where Huden shot him in the head.

Huden, 55, will remain in custody in Island County jail without bail until the sentencing hearing at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 24. The prosecution will seek an sentence of 240-320 months, about 25 years.

Contact South Whidbey Record Sports, South Whidbey School District, South Whidbey Fire/EMS Ben Watanabe at bwatanabe@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-221-5300.

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