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Texas Executes Charles Victor Thompson, Marking First U.S. Execution of 2026

The Supreme Court rejected his final appeal about an hour before the lethal injection.

Overview

  • Thompson, 55, was put to death by lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville and pronounced dead Wednesday evening.
  • He was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and her new partner in 1998, receiving a death sentence in 1999 and again after a 2005 retrial.
  • In his final statement, he asked the victims’ families for forgiveness and said the execution would create more victims and trauma.
  • His attorneys argued the woman died from faulty medical care rather than the gunshots, though a 2002 civil jury ruled in favor of a treating doctor.
  • Texas has historically carried out the most executions, 23 states still authorize capital punishment, and Florida led last year with 19 executions.