Texas Inmate Faces Execution for 1998 Murder of Ex-Girlfriend and Her New Partner
AUSTIN, Texas — After nearly three decades on death row, Charles Victor Thompson, a 55-year-old Texas inmate, is scheduled to be executed for the fatal 1998 shootings of his former girlfriend and her new boyfriend — a case that has drawn renewed attention to capital punishment, legal appeals, and questions about how evidence was handled during the original investigation.
Thompson’s execution date, set for lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, marks what could be the first execution carried out in the United States this year. The case is unfolding amid intense legal debate and emotional testimony from the victims’ families, who have waited over 25 years for justice.
The Fatal 1998 Shooting: What Happened That Night
In April 1998, authorities say Thompson went to the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, 39-year-old Glenda Dennise Hayslip, in the Houston suburb of Tomball. Hayslip had ended the couple’s romantic relationship and was reportedly seeing 30-year-old Darren Keith Cain at the time.
According to court records, Thompson and Cain got into an argument in the early hours of the morning. Police were called and instructed Thompson to leave the scene, but prosecutors say he returned hours later and opened fire, fatally wounding both Hayslip and Cain. Cain died at the scene, while Hayslip succumbed to her injuries at a hospital a week later.
Prosecutors say Thompson’s behavior was fueled by jealousy and possessiveness after the breakup. “The Hayslip and Cain families have waited over twenty-five years for justice to occur,” Harris County prosecutors wrote in court filings.
Conviction, Death Sentence, and Escape From Custody
Thompson was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. In a dramatic episode in 2005, he escaped custody from the Harris County Jail by slipping out of restraints and walking out through an unlocked door, later being captured in Louisiana while trying to flee to Canada.
After the escape, he was retried, again convicted, and resentenced to death, where he has remained on Texas’s death row ever since.
Legal Appeals and Supreme Court Petition
In the weeks leading up to his scheduled execution, Thompson’s legal team filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, alleging critical flaws in how evidence was presented during the initial proceedings. One central argument contends that Hayslip’s death resulted not from the gunshot wound — as prosecutors claimed — but from allegedly flawed medical care after the shooting, including complications from a failed intubation that may have caused brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.
Defense attorneys say Thompson was never allowed to properly dispute or challenge this evidence. They argue that if reasonable doubt had been raised about the cause of Hayslip’s death, the capital murder conviction might not stand.
However, prosecutors maintain that, under Texas law, Thompson is legally responsible for all consequences stemming from his actions — including Hayslip’s eventual death — because it would not have occurred “but for his conduct.”
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles recently denied Thompson’s request to reduce his sentence, further clearing the path for the execution to proceed.
Reactions From Families and Community Impact
For the families of Hayslip and Cain, the upcoming execution represents a long-awaited resolution. “We’ve waited for over a quarter century for this moment,” a prosecutor noted in court documents, highlighting the lingering emotional toll the case has had on loved ones.
The case also highlights broader debates over the death penalty in America, particularly in Texas, which historically has one of the highest execution rates in the country. If carried out, Thompson’s execution would continue that trend, even as other states have seen fewer death penalty cases in recent years.
Death Penalty Trends and the Broader Context
Texas has long been at the center of discussions about capital punishment in the United States. The state consistently carries out more executions than any other, and Thompson’s case serves as a reminder of the legal, ethical, and emotional complexities involved in America’s use of the death penalty.
Critics of capital punishment argue that cases like this underscore systemic issues in forensic evidence, legal representation, and appeals, while proponents contend that the death penalty is an appropriate penalty for the most heinous crimes. Regardless of one’s stance, Thompson’s case is likely to be closely watched in legal circles and by the public.
What Happens Next
As of now, Thompson’s execution is scheduled to proceed unless the Supreme Court intervenes. The nation awaits word from justices on whether they will grant a stay — a decision that could have ramifications not just for this case but for how evidence disputes in death penalty cases are handled going forward.
