Texas Prepares for First U.S. Execution of the Year: Charles Victor Thompson
Charles Victor Thompson, 55, is scheduled for execution in Texas, marking the first in the U.S. this year. He was condemned for the April 1998 shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30. The killings occurred at Hayslip's apartment in Tomball, a Houston suburb. Thompson is scheduled to receive a lethal injection Wednesday evening.
The Crime
Prosecutors stated that the year-long relationship between Thompson and Hayslip ended due to Thompson becoming increasingly possessive, jealous, and abusive. Court records indicate that Thompson initiated an argument with Cain at Hayslip's apartment around 3 a.m. Police were called and instructed Thompson to leave the premises.
Thompson returned three hours later and shot both Hayslip and Cain. Cain died at the scene, while Hayslip succumbed to her injuries in the hospital a week later.
Legal Challenges and Appeals
Thompson's attorneys petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution. Their primary argument asserted that Thompson was not allowed to contest evidence regarding the true cause of Hayslip's death.
They asserted that Hayslip died from complications of flawed medical care, specifically oxygen deprivation from a failed intubation, rather than directly from the gunshot wound.
Attorneys contend that if reasonable doubt existed about the cause of death, the charge of capital murder would not apply. Prosecutors countered that a jury had already rejected this claim and concluded Thompson was responsible for Hayslip's death, as it would not have occurred without his actions. A 2002 lawsuit filed by Hayslip's family, alleging medical negligence against one of her doctors, resulted in a verdict favoring the physician. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Thompson's request to commute his death sentence.
Previous Sentencing and Escape
Thompson's death sentence was overturned once, leading to a new punishment trial in November 2005, where a jury again sentenced him to death by lethal injection.
Following his resentencing, Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston by simply walking out the front door. He later stated he slipped out of handcuffs, changed out of his jail jumpsuit, and used an improvised ID badge to pass deputies. He was on the run for three days, during which he said he "enjoyed being outdoors," before being arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the time of his arrest, he was attempting to arrange wire transfers to travel to Canada.
Executions in Texas
Texas has historically conducted more executions than any other U.S. state.