A Texas man scheduled to be executed on Wednesday is set to become the first person to face capital punishment in the United States this year. Charles Victor Thompson, 55, was sentenced to death for the 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, in Tomball, a suburb of Houston.
Thompson was convicted for the shooting that occurred in the early morning hours of April 1998 when he returned to Hayslip’s apartment after an argument with Cain. Witnesses reported that police had asked Thompson to leave earlier that night, only for him to return and fatally shoot both victims. Cain died at the scene, while Hayslip succumbed to her injuries a week later in the hospital.
Prosecutors indicated that Thompson’s behavior toward Hayslip had become increasingly possessive and abusive during their year-long relationship, leading to tragic consequences. According to filings from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, Hayslip’s family has awaited justice for over 25 years.
Thompson’s legal team is seeking to have the U.S. Supreme Court intervene to halt his execution, arguing that their client was not given a fair chance to dispute evidence presented in court regarding Hayslip’s cause of death. They contend that she died due to inadequate medical care following the shooting rather than directly from the gunshot wound. However, prosecutors asserted that a jury had previously ruled Thompson responsible for Hayslip’s death under Texas law, which stipulates liability when a crime leads to fatality, regardless of subsequent medical care issues.
Adding to Thompson’s complicated case, he had originally escaped from a Texas jail in 2005, making a remarkable getaway that was described as alarmingly effortless by law enforcement. The escape lasted three days until Thompson was apprehended in Louisiana while attempting to arrange money transfers to flee to Canada.
Despite his challenging history and the denial of clemency by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, the execution is poised to proceed unless the Supreme Court intervenes. If carried out, Thompson’s death would mark a continuation of Texas’s long-standing reputation as a leader in the implementation of capital punishment in the U.S. Texas has executed more individuals than any other state, although Florida has recorded the highest number of executions in recent years, with 19 in 2025.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the families of Hayslip and Cain continue to seek closure after decades of waiting for justice to be served.