Texas
Execution of Texas man convicted of 1998 double murder scheduled for Wednesday
Charles Thompson, who once briefly escaped custody after being sentenced to death, is scheduled to be executed Wednesday evening for the 1998 double murder of his former girlfriend and her friend.
Thompson had gotten into an altercation at his then-girlfriend Dennise Hayslip’s apartment in Houston with her and her friend, Darren Cain, before a police officer escorted Thompson off the property, according to court records. Early the next morning, Thompson returned to the apartment, killing Cain and shooting Hayslip in the mouth. Hayslip was life-flighted to a nearby hospital, where she died a week later.
Thompson was charged with capital murder for killing Cain and Hayslip and sentenced to death in 1999. In 2001, his death sentence was vacated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals after judges ruled the Harris County District Attorney’s Office had unconstitutionally used an undercover investigator to obtain evidence for the trial. Thompson was given a new sentencing hearing, where a jury again sentenced him to death in 2005.
While Thompson does not dispute shooting Cain, he has said the man attacked him first and he acted defensively. Thompson has also asserted that Hayslip would have survived her wounds, which partially severed her tongue, had it not been for her receiving an improper intubation while at the hospital.
Days after his resentencing, Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail by switching into the civilian clothes he had worn to resentencing hearings and posed as an employee with the state Attorney General’s Office. The escape led to a three-day manhunt that ended with Thompson being caught drunk in Louisiana.
Thompson filed a new appeal and a request for a stay of execution with the CCA on Jan. 21 that called into question the efficacy of his legal counsel during trial. It also asserted Thompson’s previous claim that the hospital’s alleged improper intubation of Hayslip ultimately killed her. Included in the new filing was an affidavit from a doctor who testified during Thompson’s trial about Hayslip’s cause of death, stating she would withdraw her trial testimony and instead assert medical complications were the cause of death.
The CCA has yet to rule on the stay request or the appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a previous federal habeas corpus appeal from Thompson in 2021.
If executed, Thompson will be the first person put to death in the United States this year, and is one of four men in Texas with currently scheduled executions. Thompson will also be the 136th person Harris County has executed since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The county has executed more people than any other state, and in 2025 sentenced its 300th person to death.
Texas’ use of the death penalty has dwindled for years as new death sentences and executions per year have remained in the single digits for more than a decade.
Cedric Ricks is the next person scheduled for execution in Texas on March 11. Ricks was convicted of capital murder in 2014 for stabbing his common-law wife and her 8-year-old son to death in their Fort Worth apartment.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., on Sunday said the Texas Senate race is “in play” for Democrats after state Attorney General Ken Paxton beat incumbent John Cornyn in last week’s Senate Republican primary.
“Texas is in play. Democrats have never run against a candidate like Ken Paxton that is so corrupt that his own party impeached him,” Beshear told NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” adding, “This is someone who does not have the character … to serve as AG or even as dog catcher.”
The Kentucky governor referred to the GOP-controlled Texas state House’s impeachment of Paxton in 2023 on bribery and corruption charges before the state Senate acquitted him. The state Senate trial also touched on allegations that Paxton engaged in an extramarital affair while serving as attorney general.
Last year, his wife, who is also a state senator, announced that she had filed for divorce from the attorney general “on biblical grounds” and “in light of recent discoveries.”
Paxton did not testify at his impeachment trial, but he denied any wrongdoing and characterized the misconduct and corruption allegations as false and politically motivated. After his wife announced their divorce, Paxton wrote in a post on X that the two “decided to start a new chapter in our lives” after “countless political attacks.”
Beshear on Sunday said that if elected, Paxton is a person who “would use his office to enrich himself, that would be a rubber stamp for the president, and would do nothing for the people of Texas. He has shown that as AG.”
Beshear pointed to Paxton’s opponent, Texas state Sen. James Talarico, who won the Democratic primary in the state earlier this year as a better candidate for Senate.
Talarico “is spreading his message about being there for American families, about putting them ahead of the politics, about bringing down prices, expanding access to health care, making sure they feel safe in their community,” the Kentucky governor said. “Those things that make life just a little bit better and a little bit easier as the Trump administration is making things so much harder.”
Beshear accused Paxton of attacking Talarico early in the race because he “knows he has nothing to offer.”
“And so what does he do? He simply attacks his opponent over and over,” Beshear added.
Earlier on “Meet the Press,” former Vice President Mike Pence was asked if he supported Paxton and responded indirectly, saying, “If I was voting in Texas, I could never vote for the Democrat nominee.”
Pence added that he was confident the GOP could keep control of the Senate after November’s elections.
“I think in many respects Republicans have lost our way, but Democrats have lost their mind, and I think the reason why we’re going to hold the Senate.”
In Beshear’s interview, the governor also discussed remarks former first lady Jill Biden made last week about concerns she had about former President Joe Biden’s poor debate performance against Trump two years ago.
“I think it’s fair to look back now, given that Joe Biden did drop out, and say he shouldn’t have run for re-election in the first place,” Beshear said. “You can both compliment him for things he did that helped your state and your people, but also be able to look back and know that was a decision that should have been made differently.”
Also in his interview, Beshear was asked if he himself was considering running for president in 2028.
“I haven’t ruled it out,” he said. “But I haven’t sat down and had that conversation with my family. I’m trying to fire up Democrats to be a voice of reason in the chaos. It is so important that we win right now.”
The Texas A&M Aggies started the season with varying expectations. After a disappointing season last year, this year was a critical chance for the Aggies to once again have another shot at putting it all together.
Earning a top-16 seed and hosting a regional, the Aggies stormed a comeback to take their opening game, leading to their winners bracket matchup against the Texas State Bobcats, who took down the higher-seeded USC Trojans.
Looking to be 2-0 after their second game, head coach Michael Ealrey’s squad found themselves in a close game with the Bobcats. A five-run sixth inning would change the tune of the game, and instead of being a nail-biter, it quickly turned into a blowout.
How One Error Changed Everything
The Aggies were in a close game against the Bobcats, which is a scary place to be against a team that can hit the ball as well as they do. In the fifth inning, Chris Hacopian would get an RBI to give his team a two-run cushion, and he would prove to be the catalyst once again an inning later.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the inning, Hacopian would hit a ground ball to Justin Vossos, the Bobcats’ shortstop. It looked like a routine play, one that would get his team out of the jam, but he would bobble the grounder. Hacopian, to his credit, shot out of a cannon out of the batter’s box and would beat out the play, extending the inning and scoring Terrence Kiel II.
With a three-run lead, the Aggies smelled blood in the water, and they took advantage of the mistake. The next batter, Nico Partida, would be hit by a pitch to score another. Jake Duer would follow that up with a two-RBI single, and Ben Royo would get an infield single of his own to cap off the five-run inning.
From that point on, the Aggies never looked back and would end up winning the game, 17-2, completely breaking the game wide open and dominating their way to a 2-0 start.
What This Means Now For the Undefeated Aggies
The Aggies are the only perfect team in their regional, and have advanced to the regional final for the first time in two years. Because of that, Earley and his squad get the massive advantage of only being tasked with playing one game on Sunday night.
With the Bobcats now heading to the losers’ bracket, they will get a rematch against the Trojans at 3 p.m. CT, with the loser eliminated from postseason play and the winner facing the Aggies at approximately 8 p.m. CT.
Since the Aggies are the only undefeated team left in the bracket, they will get a minimum of two chances to punch their ticket to the super regionals.
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Live Updates – Tennessee Lady Vols vs. Texas Tech Softball (WCWS)
Current Score: Tied 0-0
***Note: If you want the latest updates make sure to refresh the story***
First Inning:
Top: Karlyn Pickens strikes the first batter out. Texas Tech hits a single that went off the glove of Pickens. Jackie Lis comes to the plate. She advances the runner, but she grounds out to short. Pickens gets a massive strikeout to end the inning. Great job by the Lady Vols ace.
Bottom: Tennessee will now come to the plate. Kaitlyn Terry is the pitcher for the Red Raiders. Sophia Knight will start it off. Knight hits an infield single thanks to her speed. Here comes game one’s MVP, Elsa Morrison. Morrison strikes out. Ella Dodge hits a grounder to second, which gets the runner out, but she is safe at first. Emma Clarke hits a line out to Williams at second base to end the inning, as she had to make a vertical effort to bring that one down.
Second Inning:
Top: Here comes former Lady Vol Taylor Pannell. She pops out. Pickens will face the Red Raiders’ pitcher, who also hits. Pickens gets the Lady Vols off the field.
Bottom: Leach lines out to begin the inning. Makenzie Butt pops out to right field, which will be out No. 2. Gabby Leach is out to end the inning for the Lady Vols.
Third Inning:
Top: Quiroga lines out to begin the inning, and Pickens continues to move strongly. Halleman grounded out to second for out No. 2. Williams grounded out to third, which will get the Lady Vols off the field.
Bottom: Bella Faw singles to get on base. Holley grounds out, but Faw advances to second. Knight is struck by a pitch, and there are now two on base for the Lady Vols with only one out this inning. This gives Tennessee two on with a runner in scoring position. Here comes the Red Raiders’ ace, Nija Canady. Morrison fouls out. A wild pitch advances both runners. One at third and one at second now with two outs. Dodge is hit by a pitch, and bases are now loaded for the Lady Vols. Canady forced a full count for Clarke with bases loaded, and Clarke collided with Lis around first base, and the bases were left loaded. Texas Tech escapes.
Fourth Inning:
Top: Pickens forces a groundout. Lis grounds out, and the Lady Vols have put two away quickly. Pickens retires her 11th straight batter after forcing a groundout to second base.
Bottom: Leach reaches to begin the inning. It was via an error. She will be taken out of the game for a pinch runner. Saviya Morgan is on base. Makenzie Butt is up to bat. Canady strikes Butt out. Morgan gets picked off at second base. Gabby Leach hits a single to center field.
Pre Game Information
The Tennessee Lady Vols are set for their next matchup in the softball realm, as this is the second game they will play in the Women’s College World Series. In their first game, they were victorious against the Texas Longhorns, as they defeated the Longhorns by a score of 6-3 in a game in which they were viewed as the underdogs. Now they will have to play another great team with the hopes of continuing to hold on to their advantage of having no losses in a two-loss tournament. After today, only two of the eight teams that advanced and two of the six teams that remain will be able to say that.
The Lady Vols are up first out of the two games today, and they will be playing against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Red Raiders are entering this game with no losses after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their game. The Bulldogs entered the event as the biggest underdog, but the Red Raiders can compete with any of the teams at the event. They had to defeat a Florida Gators team that won a series against the Lady Vols to get to the Women’s College World Series.
This game will be one of the more anticipated games in the whole tournament, as this may not even be the only time that these two match up throughout the World Series. Regardless, the Tennessee Lady Vols will look for another big moment in the biggest game of their season thus far.
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