A Texas inmate convicted of a brutal double homicide has been executed by lethal injection, marking the first execution carried out in the United States this year. Charles Victor Thompson, 55, received the death penalty for the 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, a crime that has haunted families for nearly three decades.
The Execution and Final Statement
Thompson was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, February 28, at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville Unit. Before the lethal dose was administered, Thompson addressed the families of his victims, expressing remorse and seeking forgiveness.
"There are no winners in this situation," Thompson stated after a spiritual adviser prayed over him. He added that his execution "creates more victims and traumatizes more people 28 years later."
In his final words, Thompson 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." He specifically asked the families to forgive him, expressing hope that they could "begin to heal and move past this."
The Crime and Legal Proceedings
Thompson was found guilty of the April 1998 shooting deaths of Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and Darren Keith Cain, 30, at Hayslip's apartment in the Houston area. According to court records, Thompson visited the apartment at 3 a.m. and got into an argument with Cain. After police were called and Thompson was told to leave, he returned three hours later and shot the couple.
Cain died at the scene, while Hayslip succumbed to her injuries one week later. Thompson's original death sentence was overturned, but a jury again sentenced him to lethal injection following a new punishment trial in November 2005.
Escape and Recapture
Not long after being resentenced, Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston. He spent three days on the run before being apprehended in Louisiana while attempting to set up overseas wire transfers, apparently in an effort to flee to Canada.
Reactions from Officials and Family
After witnessing the execution, Dennis Cain, father of victim Darren Keith Cain, said simply, "He's in hell." Harris County District Attorney Sean Tear, whose office prosecuted the case, stated, "This chapter is closed." He added, "It was justice a long time coming."
Last-Minute Legal Efforts
About an hour before the scheduled execution, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a brief order rejecting Thompson's final appeal. Earlier in the week, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles had denied his request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty.
The execution proceeded as planned, with Thompson gasping loudly as the injection began taking effect. According to The Associated Press, he took about a dozen breaths that turned into snoring sounds before stopping movement. He was pronounced dead approximately 22 minutes after the process began.
