Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
STOP EXECUTIONS
The nation’s first execution of 2026 took place in Texas last night, January 28, 2026, when Charles Thompson was put to death. He was convicted of killing Dennise Hayslip, his on-and-off girlfriend, and her friend Darren Cain in 1998 in Tomball (a Houston suburb). Thompson, who was 55, spent nearly 27 years on death row.
Thompson used his final moments to apologize to the families of Hayslip and Cain and asked for their forgiveness. “There is no winners in this situation, it creates more victims and traumatizes more people 28 years later,” Thompson said.
There are three more executions currently scheduled in Texas between now and the middle of May. All three men were convicted in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
ATTEND EVENTS
The TCADP 2026 Annual Conference: Overcoming Legacies, Reimagining Justice will take place on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Houston, Texas.
Join TCADP members from across Texas for a day of inspiration and advocacy, during which you will hear from capital defense attorneys and death penalty experts, criminal justice reform advocates, restorative justice practitioners, and individuals who have been directly impacted by executions.
The program includes a panel discussion, awards luncheon and keynote address, and workshops on a variety of topics.
Register today!
GET INFORMED
Did you know the application of the death penalty is largely dependent on geography?
More than half of the counties in Texas have never sent anyone to death row, and death sentences have been concentrated in a few jurisdictions. In fact, six of the last nine people sentenced to death were convicted in either Harris (Houston) or Tarrant (Fort Worth) counties.
In Harris County alone, juries have sentenced 300 people to death since 1974. Last year, Harris County spent nearly $2 million in taxpayer funds on just one death penalty case.
Learn more facts about the death penalty in Texas.
Who We Are
The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) is the only statewide grassroots advocacy organization dedicated solely to ending the death penalty in Texas. Together with local, state, and national partners, TCADP is working to reduce use of the death penalty in Texas and, ultimately, end this arbitrary, irreversible, and unfair punishment.
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Learn more at Texas Death Penalty Facts and follow us on social media for the latest developments.
