Texas killer set to be first U.S. execution of 2026 for 1998 double murder

Texas death-row inmate Charles Victor Thompson, who was sentenced to death for the 1998 killings of his ex‑girlfriend and her new partner and who later escaped custody, is scheduled for lethal injection in Huntsville, potentially becoming the first execution in the United States this year; his lawyers contend the manner of the victim’s death is in dispute, while prosecutors say Thompson is responsible.