America’s First Execution of 2026 Took Place in Texas

The very first execution in 2026 just happened in Texas.

In 1998, Charles Victor Thompson showed up at his ex girlfriend's apartment in Houston, Texas, around 3 am. Glenda Dennise Hayslip and the man she was dating at the time, Darren Keith Cain, were both inside her apartment when Thompson angrily dropped by.

Police were called out and directed Thompson to leave the apartment complex, which he did, but the night wasn’t over for him. Just three hours later, Thompson crept back to Hayslip’s apartment; this time, he was ready to do more than argue.

Thompson shot and killed Cain in the apartment. Hayslip was shot in the face and later died from her injuries at the hospital.

Read More: 4 Texas Death Row Inmates Are Set for Execution in 2026

Throughout the years, Thompson has had his sentence altered.

In 2005, his original death sentence was overturned. However, when he went back to trial to be resentenced, the jury again ordered that he die by lethal injection.

Thompson wasn’t ready to surrender. After he was yet again sentenced to death, Thompson decided to risk it all. After meeting with his attorney in an interview cell, he managed to slip out of his handcuffs and jumpsuit.

The room was unlocked, and Thompson quickly made his move. He casually walked out, flashed an ID card when passing deputies, and successfully walked right out of the building; from there he went on the run.

"I got to smell the trees, feel the wind in my hair, grass under my feet, see the stars at night. It took me straight back to childhood, being outside on a summer night," Thompson said during an interview with the AP.

Police were able to locate Thompson three days later, just as he was arranging a money transfer and plans to cross over into Canada.

On Wednesday, January 28, 2026, Thompson received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. At 6:50 p.m., he was pronounced dead. His last words were directed to his victims families:

"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," he added.