Overview
- Thompson, convicted Monday by a Galveston County jury, received an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole.
- Investigators said the February 2024 blaze at a 39th Street home trapped four people as firefighters pulled out three, including two children, while Renita Hawthorne later died at UTMB Galveston from carbon monoxide poisoning and burns.
- The fire marshal testified the blaze was set on purpose with gasoline and ignition points at each door to block any escape.
- Jurors saw video of a car circling the home and a man in a blue hoodie carrying a red gas can, plus footage of a gas purchase nearby that matched clothing on Thompson’s Instagram.
- Evidence pointed to retaliation over an unpaid drug debt, including threatening messages to Hawthorne’s son and testimony that Thompson confessed he was hired by Xavier Faison, whom witnesses identified as the dealer making threats.