“Since the reintroduction of the death penalty in the US in 1976, more than 8,000 people have been sentenced to death.” ~Netflix, I am a Killer series.
I am a Killer Episode 5 – Intended Evil
- Death Row Inmate #999306
- Charles Thompson
In April 1999, Charles Thompson was convicted of murdering Darren Cain and Denise Hayslip. Thompson had been in a volatile relationship with Denise. However, at the time of the crime, there was a dispute about whether the two were together. Thompson claims that they were back together after a recent breakup while those close to Denise claim they were not together, and she had happily moved on.
Darren Cain was a bartender at a local bar where he met Denise. According to Thompson Denise had cheated on him with Darren, he had confronted them when he found them together. He left the scene of the murder to go to a friend’s house, while at the friend’s house, he cleaned and bandaged himself up. It wasn’t until he saw the news that he called his father and agreed to turn himself in.
Initially, Thompson was charged with the manslaughter death of Darren and aggravated assault of Denise. The reason the initial charge for Denise was aggravated assault was a result of her surviving the attack. However, when she was taken to the hospital for surgery she lost air and became brain dead. On May 6th, 1998 Denise was taken off of life support and Thompson’s charges were amended.
Thompson went on trial on April 12th, 1999. Part of Thompson’s defense was that Denise’s death was the fault of the hospital. If Denise had survived the maximum penalty Thompson could have received is life in prison. Although Thompson laid blame on the hospital, the Hayslip family, by way of a wrongful death suit, learned that the gunshot wound was ultimately the cause of death.
Throughout the episode, Thompson makes excuses and doesn’t truly own his responsibility in Denise’s death. The sequence of events according to Thompson doesn’t add up when you look at the crime scene photo. Thompson’s background as well as things he told a friend right after the murders is why he was convicted. Thompson had at one point tried to hire an undercover officer to put a hit out on the friend he had spoken to.
On April 6th, 1999 Thompson was sentenced to death. Six years later he had to go through a sentencing retrial on the grounds that the recording was illegal. Thompson was again sentenced to death. After being on Death Row for six years, Thompson escaped his holding cell using a fake identification card and his court clothes. He claims that he is not a danger to society because he didn’t kill anyone while he was on the run for four days.
The only thing he seems willing to admit to being is an alcoholic and addict.
My additional research didn’t turn up anything in his favor. In all honesty, it just reinforced the fact that he is a disgusting human being. He has a website that is looking for a pro bono attorney to help him because it’s the hospital’s fault. To me, that website is proof that he is failing to recognize the fact that if he hadn’t shot her, she would have never ended up in the hospital to begin with. He had two prison pen pal profiles, and one he had the nerve to boast about himself using the line “google me” (BARF!). He also contributes to the blog Between the Bars.
This episode disgusted me. To quote the notes I took while watching this episode: “I feel he is insincere and fuck him!”
I love this series a ton and while I was sick to my stomach listening to this garbage excuse of why it’s not his fault, I still give this episode 4 out of 5 stars.
Next week we will be covering episode 6: Declared Competent.