In a sombre conclusion to a decades-long legal saga, a Texas inmate who murdered his former girlfriend and her new partner in a jealous rampage has been executed by lethal injection. Charles Victor Thompson, aged 55, received the death penalty at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville on Wednesday evening, marking the first execution carried out in the United States in 2026.
A Crime Born of Possessive Jealousy
Thompson was originally convicted in 1999 for the brutal slayings of Dennise Hayslip, 39, and Darren Cain, 30, which occurred at Hayslip's home in north Harris County in April 1998. Prosecutors detailed how Thompson's relationship with Hayslip had deteriorated, with court records stating he "became increasingly possessive, jealous and abusive." After Hayslip ended the relationship and began dating Cain, Thompson forced his way into her apartment in the early hours of the morning.
Although police were initially called to remove him, Thompson returned three hours later and shot both victims. Cain died at the scene, while Hayslip succumbed to her injuries in hospital a week later.
Final Words and a Protracted Legal Battle
Moments before the lethal dose of pentobarbital was administered, Thompson addressed witnesses following a prayer from a spiritual advisor. "There are no winners in this situation," he stated, adding that his execution "creates more victims and traumatizes more people 28 years later." He concluded with an apology and a religious message: "I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for what happened, and I want to tell all of y’all, I love you and that keep Jesus in your life, keep Jesus first."
His death came after 26 years on death row and numerous failed appeals. In the final days, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied clemency, while both the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the US Supreme Court rejected last-minute pleas to halt the execution.
Controversial Defence and a Notorious Escape
Thompson's legal team had mounted a final argument to the Supreme Court, contesting the cause of Hayslip's death. They claimed she died not from the gunshot wound, but from flawed medical care that led to severe brain damage after a failed intubation. However, the jury had previously ruled under state law that Thompson was responsible because her death "would not have occurred but for his conduct." A separate civil case in 2002 saw a jury rule in favour of a doctor Hayslip's family had sued for alleged negligence.
Adding to the notoriety of the case, Thompson briefly escaped from the Harris County Jail in 2005. He later confessed to The Associated Press that he slipped out of his jumpsuit after a meeting with his lawyer, used a fake ID badge crafted from his prison card, and simply walked out the front door. He was recaptured in Shreveport, Louisiana, while attempting to wire money to flee to Canada. Reflecting on his short-lived freedom, he said, "I got to smell the trees, feel the wind in my hair, grass under my feet, see the stars at night."
Families' Long Wait for Justice
For the victims' families, the execution brought a painful chapter to a close. Prosecutors noted in filings that "the Hayslip and Cain families have waited over 25 years for justice to occur." Dennis Cain, father of Darren, witnessed the execution and bluntly remarked afterwards, "He's in Hell."
Wade Hayslip, Dennise's son, travelled from Chicago to Houston to see Thompson die, telling USA Today beforehand that it was "the only thing he has left to offer in accountability for the lives he's destroyed." He viewed it as "more of the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one," expressing hope for the future.
Broader Context and Future Executions
Thompson's case gained further attention through a 2018 episode of the 'I Am A Killer' docuseries, and a Facebook group called 'Friends of Charles Victor Thompson' had campaigned against his execution, criticising the death penalty as inhumane. One member wrote despairingly just before the execution, "We have been denied by the Supreme Court. I have no words. The execution will go ahead. My heart is broken."
Texas, historically the state with the most executions, carried out this first one of 2026. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 18 executions are scheduled for this year across the US. The next is set for February 10, involving Ronald Heath, convicted of killing a traveling salesman during a 1989 robbery in Florida.
