Final Statements of Inmate Executed for Killing Ex-Girlfriend and Her New Partner

Charles Victor Thompson, a 55-year-old man, was executed via lethal injection on the night of February 28 in Texas, marking the first execution in the U.S. for the year.

Thompson was declared dead at 6:50 p.m. local time at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Huntsville Unit. He had been convicted for the April 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend, 39-year-old Glenda Dennise Hayslip, and her then-boyfriend, 30-year-old Darren Keith Cain, at Hayslip's residence near Houston.

Prior to receiving the lethal injection, Thompson addressed the families of his victims, seeking forgiveness and expressing a desire for them to heal from the tragedy. He stated, "There are no winners in this situation," emphasizing that his execution would result in further victimization long after the incident.

In his touching final words, he 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."

Reports from The Associated Press indicated that as the injection commenced, Thompson gasped audibly and subsequently made sounds resembling snoring before he ceased movement, being pronounced dead approximately 22 minutes later.

Following the execution, Dennis Cain, the father of one of the victims, remarked, "He’s in hell," reflecting on the emotional toll of the event. Harris County District Attorney Sean Tear, involved in prosecuting Thompson's case, stated, "This chapter is closed," describing the execution as long- awaited justice.

The events of the crime dated back to 1998 when Thompson reportedly entered Hayslip’s apartment at 3 a.m., where he confronted Cain. After being asked to leave by the police, Thompson returned a few hours later and shot the couple. Cain succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while Hayslip died a week later.

Although Thompson's death sentence was initially overturned, a subsequent jury sentenced him to death again in November 2005. Soon after that, he escaped from a Houston jail, maintaining his freedom for three days until he was apprehended in Louisiana, where he attempted to arrange overseas money transfers, likely to evade capture.

Just an hour before his execution, the U.S. Supreme Court turned down his final plea for clemency. Furthermore, earlier in the week, Thompson's request to have his death sentence reduced was denied by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.