Charles Victor Thompson was executed by lethal injection in Texas on Wednesday, the first execution in the United States of 2026. Photo courtesy of Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas on Wednesday evening conducted the United States’ first execution of the year, putting a 55-year-old man to death for the 1998 double murder of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend.
Charles Victor Thompson was executed by lethal injection at the penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. He was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. CST, the state’s Department of Criminal Justice told UPI in an emailed statement.
In his last statement, Thompson asked the families of his victims for forgiveness, while stating he hopes they can “begin to heal” and move on.
“There is no winners in this situation, it creates more victims and traumatizes more people 28 years later,” he said.
“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.”
Thompson was convicted in April 1999 of fatally shooting Dennis Hayslip, 39, and Darren Cain, 30, the morning of April 30, 1998.
According to court records, a 27-year-old Thompson killed Hayslip and Cain, who were dating, following an altercation at Hayslip’s Houston apartment early April 30.
Prosecutors said a neighbor called the police at around 3 a.m. An officer arrived at the scene to find Thompson’ face swollen from a fight, but learned he had started it. As no one wanted to file charges, the officer escorted Thompson from the property and warned him that he would be charged with criminal trespass if he returned.
At about 6 a.m., Thompson returned and shot both Hayslip and Cain. Cain died at the scene. Hayslip was transported to a hospital, where she died a week after the shooting.
Thompson was executed after the Supreme Court on Wednesday denied is final application for a stay. Thompson’ defense had asked the high court to review the case on the grounds that their client’s Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses was violated.
During his trial, Thompson’ attorneys were denied the ability to cross-examine the medical examiner who determined that Hayslip died as a result of the gunshot wound to the face.
His lawyers had argued during the trial that her death was the result of improper medical care at the hospital. They said Hayslip became brain dead due to a lack of oxygen while receiving medical care, which is the reason why her family took her off life support.
Texas prosecutors responded with a filing stating that his claims had already been rejected by previous courts on the grounds that Hayslip would not have died at the hospital if Thompson never shot her.
“Even assuming, arguendo, that the conduct of the doctors was clearly sufficient to cause Hayslip’s death, the conduct of [Thompson] was no ‘clearly insufficient’ so as to absolve him of criminal responsibility,” the prosecutors said.
After Thompson was convicted by jury and sentenced to death in 1999, a retrial of the punishment phase was ordered by the court after the defense successfully argued that the state’s use of an undercover police officer to obtain incriminating statements violated his Sixth Amendment rights.
However, he was again sentenced to death in 2005.
Days later, he escaped county jail while awaiting transfer to prison. A manhunt was launched, and Thompson was arrested in Shreveport, La., drunk and talking on a pay phone.
Thompson is the first person to be executed in the United States in 2026, and follows a year in which executions surged.
In 2025, 47 death row inmates were killed in 11 states, up from 25 executions the year before and the most since 52 were killed in 2009.
Last year, Texas executed five people.
According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Texas has scheduled four more executions through May 15.
