Texas Man Executed for 1998 Double Murder

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Charles Victor Thompson, 55, was executed by lethal injection in Texas on Wednesday, marking the first execution in the U.S. this year. Thompson was convicted of the 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new partner, Darren Keith Cain, 30, in the Houston area. Before his death, Thompson surprised many by publicly asking for forgiveness from the victims' families, saying "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry for what happened, and I want to tell all of you that I love you and that... you should keep Jesus in your lives, put Jesus first."

Why it matters

The Texas execution has reignited attention around a decades-old crime, unexpected final words, and reactions that continue to have an impact. Thompson's execution closed a long-running legal case that included an escape, retrials, and years of appeals, highlighting the complex judicial process surrounding capital punishment cases.

The details

According to court records, in the early morning hours of April 1998, Thompson went to Hayslip's apartment around 3:00 a.m. and got into an argument with Cain. After police were called and Thompson was ordered to leave, he returned about three hours later and shot the couple. Cain died at the scene, while Hayslip passed away a week later from her injuries. Thompson's original death sentence was later overturned, but in 2005 a new jury again sentenced him to death by lethal injection. He briefly escaped from jail before being recaptured.

• The first execution in the U.S. this year took place in Texas on Wednesday, January 29, 2026.
• Thompson was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time.

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