After 28 Years on Death Row, Texas Executes an Offender for 1998 Double Murder

(LibertystarTribune.com) – Texas delivers swift justice under President Trump’s America-first leadership, executing double murderer Charles Victor Thompson after 28 years—proving tough-on-crime policies deliver closure for victims’ families while leftist delays end.

Story Highlights

Charles Victor Thompson, 55, executed by lethal injection on January 28, 2026, marking the first U.S. execution of the year at Huntsville Unit.
Convicted for 1998 Houston double murder of ex-girlfriend Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her boyfriend Darren Cain, 30, in brutal love-triangle shooting.
Thompson’s failed schemes included jailbreak escape in 2005 and hiring a hitman—foiled by sharp undercover work later inspiring Netflix’s “Hit Man.”
Victims’ families, including son Wade Hayslip (13 at the time) and Dennis Cain, finally get justice after decades of appeals.

The Brutal 1998 Murders

Charles Victor Thompson confronted ex-girlfriend Glenda Dennise Hayslip and her new boyfriend Darren Keith Cain at her Houston-area apartment on April 30, 1998. Police escorted Thompson away after the altercation. He returned the next day armed with a gun. Thompson shot Cain twice in the chest, once in the back as he fled, then executed him with shots to the head and neck. He forced Hayslip to watch, held her in a headlock, and shot her through the cheek. Cain died at the scene; Hayslip succumbed a week later in hospital.

Thompson’s Criminal Escapades and Legal Delays

Thompson’s capital murder conviction came in April 1999, with a death sentence. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated it in 2001 over an undercover investigator issue. Retried and resentenced to death in 2005, Thompson escaped Harris County Jail that year, only recaptured in Louisiana after three days. While jailed in 1998, he tried hiring a hitman for $1,500 to kill a key witness—his confession recipient’s mother. Undercover agent Gary Johnson recorded the plot, later basis for the 2024 Netflix film “Hit Man.”

Final Appeals Fail, Justice Served

Thompson’s team claimed ineffective counsel and argued medical negligence—not his gunshot—killed Hayslip via failed intubation causing brain damage. A 2002 jury cleared the doctor in a malpractice suit. Early January 2026, courts denied stays. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected commutation. An hour before execution, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed his final appeal. At 6:50 p.m. CST on January 28, lethal injection ended his life after he gasped, snored through breaths, and stilled after 22 minutes.

Victims’ Families Speak, Texas Sets Tone for 2026

Harris County DA Sean Teare highlighted closure for families: “This is an incredibly solemn moment… but the relief… was palpable.” Wade Hayslip, 13 when his mother died, witnessed it, saying a piece of him remains in ’98. Dennis Cain, Darren’s father, declared post-execution: “He’s in hell.” Texas schedules four more executions in 2026, starting with Cedric Allen Ricks on March 11. This first-of-the-year action under President Trump signals renewed commitment to law, order, and protecting American families from violent offenders—no more endless appeals eroding justice.

In President Trump’s America, states like Texas uphold conservative values of accountability. Extended death row delays—often fueled by activist judges—burden taxpayers and deny victims peace. Thompson’s case underscores why swift justice deters crime, supports families, and rejects soft-on-crime globalist leniency. With border security strengthened and deportations surging, violent actors face consequences, restoring safety to communities ravaged by past weak policies.