A grieving father shouted three words in anguish after the man who murdered his son was executed.
Charles Victor Thompson, aged 55, was the first person in the US to face execution this year for fatally shooting his former girlfriend and her new partner. Thompson, a double murderer who had previously escaped prison, was put to death 28 years after committing the heinous crimes. Following the murders of Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and Darren Keith Cain, 30, in April 1998, Thompson spent close to three decades on death row.
In his final moments, the killer appealed to the families of his victims for forgiveness, stating, “you can begin to heal and move past this.” However, Mr. Cain’s father had a starkly different response, declaring, “He’s in hell.”
Before his execution, Thompson received a three-minute prayer from a spiritual advisor. Reflecting on the situation, he expressed, “There are no winners in this situation,” acknowledging the enduring trauma caused by his actions. He expressed regret, apologized for his deeds, and urged others to keep faith in Jesus.
Upon receiving the lethal injection, Thompson gasped loudly, followed by a series of breaths that eventually ceased. He was declared dead 22 minutes later. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare remarked, “This chapter is closed. It was justice a long time coming.”
Thompson had been in a romantic relationship with Ms. Hayslip in the mid-1990s, which ended due to his possessive and abusive behavior. Ms. Hayslip and Mr. Cain began dating thereafter. The fatal incident occurred when Thompson entered Ms. Hayslip’s apartment in Houston, Texas, leading to a fatal altercation resulting in Mr. Cain’s death and Ms. Hayslip’s eventual passing in the hospital.
Prosecutors from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office emphasized the prolonged wait for justice endured by the Hayslip and Cain families, spanning over 25 years.
After having his original death sentence overturned, Thompson underwent a new punishment trial in November 2005, where a jury once again sentenced him to death by lethal injection. Subsequently, Thompson managed to escape from the Harris County Jail in Houston shortly after being resentenced.
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