The state of Texas carried out the execution of Charles Victor Thompson on January 28, 2026, at 6:50 p. m. at the Huntsville Unit, ending a 28-year journey through the criminal justice system that included a brazen escape from a maximum security jail and a double murder that shocked Houston.
Thompson, 55, was pronounced dead by lethal injection after the U. S. Supreme Court rejected his final appeal earlier that evening.
Thompson’s crimes date back to April 30, 1998, when he kicked in the door of his ex-girlfriend Glenda Denise Haslip’s apartment and shot her and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain. Cain died instantly from multiple gunshot wounds. Haslip, 39, suffered a catastrophic facial wound and died six days later after life support was withdrawn.
Thompson had been violent toward Haslip during their relationship, leaving her with bruises and a black eye.
Before his trial, Thompson attempted to orchestrate the murder of a key witness from inside the Harris County Jail. Undercover investigator Gary Johnson, later the subject of the Netflix film “Hit Man,” recorded Thompson offering $1,500 for the killing and providing a hand-drawn map of the witness’s address. The recording was played for the jury, which convicted Thompson of capital murder in 1999 and sentenced him to death.
In a stunning development, Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail on November 3, 2005, days after a resentencing hearing. He changed into civilian clothes, flashed a 𝒻𝒶𝓀𝑒 badge, and walked past four guards. The escape triggered a nationwide manhunt.
He was captured 78 hours later in Shreveport, Louisiana, intoxicated and laughing. He later told the Associated Press he enjoyed feeling the wind and grass during his brief freedom.
On the day of his execution, Thompson was offered a standard Texas prison meal. He chose scrambled eggs, oatmeal, applesauce, grape jelly, and biscuits for breakfast, and fried chicken, pinto beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, bread, swirl pudding, punch, and water for lunch. He declined a special last meal, as Texas abolished that practice years ago.
He spent his final hours reading, praying, and meeting with his spiritual advisor.
In his last words, delivered from the execution gurney, Thompson looked toward the victims’ families and said, “I hope the victim’s family can find forgiveness in their heart and that you can begin to heal and move past this. There are no winners in this situation.” He then addressed his own family, apologizing and urging them to keep Jesus first.
He closed with, “I love you all. That’s it, Warden.”
The injection began shortly after 6 p. m. Witnesses reported Thompson gasped loudly and took about a dozen slowing breaths before falling silent.
He was pronounced dead at 6:50 p. m. Outside the Huntsville Unit, anti-death penalty advocates held candles.
Inside, Darren Cain’s father, Dennis Cain, told reporters, “He’s in hell.” Harris County District Attorney Shawn Teague called the execution “justice a long time coming.”
Thompson’s case is the first execution in the United States in 2026. It follows two other notable executions in 2025. In May, Indiana executed Benjamin Donnie Richie for the 2000 murder of Beech Grove police officer William Tony.
Richie, 45, died by lethal injection at the Indiana State Prison after a controversial final appeal over claims of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Witnesses reported he lifted his head violently from the gurney during the procedure, though the state disputed that account.
In October 2025, Mississippi executed Charles Ray Crawford for the 1993 kidnapping, rape, and stabbing death of college student Christy Denise Ray. Crawford, who had been free on bail after a prior violent assault, spent 31 years on death row. His last words urged the victim’s family to find peace through God.
He was pronounced dead at 6:15 p. m. after a three-𝒹𝓇𝓊𝑔 combination.
The three executions highlight the ongoing debate over capital punishment in America. Thompson’s case is particularly notable for its extraordinary escape, which remains the only successful walkout by a death row inmate in the 21st century. Wade Haslip, the son of victim Denise Haslip, attended the execution and said he was not looking for an apology, only accountability.
“The only thing Thompson had left to offer was his life,” he said. “He had been there to collect it.”
