Texas man Charles Victor Thompson executed in first US execution of 2026
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A Texas man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend died by lethal injection Wednesday evening; This was the first execution of the year in the United States.
Charles Victor Thompson, 55, was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time after receiving the injection at the Huntsville Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. He was convicted of shooting to death his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30, in April 1998 at the woman’s Houston-area apartment.
Before the fatal dose was administered, Thompson asked for forgiveness from his victims’ families, adding that he hoped “you can start to heal and get through this.”
“There are no winners in this situation,” he said after a spiritual advisor prayed for him, adding that his execution “created more victims and traumatized more people 28 years later.”
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This year, Texas executed Charles Victor Thompson, the first person executed in the United States. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)
In his final words, he said, “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for what happened, and I want to say to all of you, I love you and… keep Jesus in your lives, keep Jesus first.”
Thompson began breathing loudly as the injection began to take effect, taking about a dozen breaths that then turned into snoring sounds, according to the Associated Press. He then stopped moving and was pronounced dead approximately 22 minutes later.
Dennis Cain, whose son was murdered by Thompson, said “He’s in hell” after witnessing the execution.
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Charles Victor Thompson was executed in Texas in 1998 for the murders of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend. (Texas Department of Criminal Justice via AP)
“This chapter is closed,” said Harris County District Attorney Sean Tear, who prosecuted the case.
“Justice has been a long time coming,” he added.
On the night of the murders, Thompson visited Hayslip’s home at 3 a.m. and argued with Cain, according to court records. After police were called, Thompson was told to leave the complex, but returned three hours later and shot the couple.
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Execution chamber in a Texas prison. (AP)
Cain died at the scene and Hayslip died a week later.
Thompson’s original death sentence was later overturned, but a jury once again sentenced him to death by lethal injection following a new criminal trial in November 2005.
Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston shortly after being charged and remained on the run for three days before being captured.
He was arrested in Louisiana while trying to arrange overseas wire transfers in an attempt to escape to Canada.
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About an hour before the scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a brief order rejecting Thompson’s final appeal. Earlier this week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Thompson’s request to commute his death sentence to a lesser sentence.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
