Texas Man Faces Execution for Killing Ex-Girlfriend and Her Boyfriend

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Charles Victor Thompson, a Texas man, is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend Glenda Dennise Hayslip and her new boyfriend Darren Keith Cain nearly 27 years ago in suburban Houston. Thompson was previously sentenced to death for the 1998 killings, had his sentence overturned, and was resentenced to death in 2005 after a jury again ordered him to die by lethal injection.

Why it matters

This case highlights the lasting impact of domestic violence and the ongoing debate around the death penalty in the United States. Thompson's attorneys have argued that Hayslip's death was due to medical negligence, not the shooting, raising questions about the reliability of forensic evidence in capital cases.

The details

According to court records, Thompson and Hayslip had been in a romantic relationship for a year before splitting up, with Thompson becoming "increasingly possessive, jealous and abusive." On the night of the killings, Thompson went to Hayslip's apartment, argued with her new boyfriend Cain, and was told by police to leave. Thompson returned three hours later and shot both Hayslip and Cain, who died at the scene. Hayslip died in the hospital a week later.

• The killings occurred in April 1998.
• Thompson was originally sentenced to death in the late 1990s.
• Thompson's death sentence was overturned, and he was resentenced to death in November 2005.
• Thompson is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

What’s next

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering Thompson's request for a stay of execution.