The state of Texas carried out the first execution in the United States of 2026 on Wednesday, renewing focus on capital punishment as a practice increasingly challenged both domestically and abroad.Charles Thompson, 55, was administered a lethal injection for the 1998 murders of Glenda Hayslip and Darren Cain, crimes for which he had maintained his innocence in recent court filings [[1]].The execution follows a reported increase in executions nationwide, with 47 carried out in 2025 compared to 23 in 2024, continuing a trend that began in 2023 after a historic low in the number of executions performed during the pandemic.
The United States carried out its first execution of 2026 on Wednesday, January 28th, highlighting the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment in the country. Charles Thompson, convicted of a double homicide over 27 years ago, received a lethal injection at the Huntsville State Penitentiary in Texas.
Thompson was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. local time, according to NBC News. The execution marks a significant moment in the application of the death penalty, a practice increasingly scrutinized by international human rights organizations.
The case dates back to April 1998, when Thompson was found guilty of murdering his former girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new partner, Darren Keith Cain, 30, at Hayslip’s apartment in a Houston suburb.
In his final statement, Thompson offered an apology to the victims’ families. “May you all start to heal and get over this,” he said. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for what happened and I want to tell everybody that I love you and keep Jesus in your lives, have Jesus first.”
Thompson’s path to execution was not without complications. He initially appealed his death sentence in 2001, but the appeal was denied four years later. Shortly after the 2005 ruling, Thompson briefly escaped from custody, remaining at large for three days before being recaptured in Louisiana.
The execution comes as the United States saw an increase in capital punishment cases in recent years. In 2025, the U.S. carried out 47 executions, a nearly 50% increase compared to the 23 executions performed in 2024, according to the agency EFE.
