A double killer who has been on Death Row for 25 years has opened up about the grim reality of his situation.
Charles Thompson was found guilty of a double homicide in 1998 after he shot his ex-girlfriend Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her new partner, Darren Cain, 30. He described it as a “crime of passion”, claiming that he was “immature” and battling alcohol and drug addiction at the time.
In 2005, he briefly escaped from prison but was eventually recaptured and returned to solitary confinement, where he has spent the majority of this century.
However, he was granted permission to leave his cell for an interview with news presenter Dan Walker for a Channel 5 documentary titled Dead Man Walking: Dan Walker on Death Row. The former BBC Breakfast host asked Thompson if he ever contemplated his impending death, hoping his question wasn’t “too morbid”.
In response, the convicted killer said: “Oh, it is the most unnatural thing to know you are fixing to die and watch the clock tick down. It is not natural. You are not supposed to know your time.
“The execution nightmare, the execution dream, is probably the worst thing. You wake up with a cold sweat and you are like… that was just too real.
“I had watched friends be executed, close friends, and I have heard guys crying at night.”
He also expressed frustration over being allowed out of his cell for only up to four hours per week, stating “people have pets that get out of their cages more than that”.
Speaking about his daily life in prison, he revealed: “We are held to solitary confinement as you probably know. So my day starts usually around six, seven in the morning.
“We just got TVs a year ago. For 24 years, I didn’t have any TV to look at. I have been reading books for 24 years like a book worm.”
He added with a laugh: “I am very well read.”
His crime resulted in his former girlfriend’s son, Wade, losing his mother at the tender age of 13. Speaking in the documentary, Wade recalled: “I can remember being pulled out of class by my vice principle and pulling into our youth counsellor’s office and them explaining what had happened.
“And I remember going to the hospital and waiting that night and ultimately seeing her on the bed… so that was a different experience.”
When confronted with the fact that his mother’s killer referred to the incident as a “scuffle”, Wade responded: “The evidence suggests that he kicked in the door that morning and there were a total of seven shots fired.
“He had to reload so much that the gun jammed and could not be fired again. One shot was put to her cheek and then blasted to the other side of her jaw bone. He said that he knew she had been hit because he could see her teeth flying out of her mouth… so that is point blank rage.”
Wade opened up about a period during which he was haunted by a recurring nightmare of Thompson shooting him.
Providing his perspective on the day that forever changed their lives, Thompson meanwhile told the camera: “It was the worst day of my life.
“I regret it. I wish I could take it back. When this case happened 27 years ago, I was 27, almost 28, I was an alcoholic, I was strung out on cocaine, using hard drugs. I was still very immature for 27. I had a lot of anger issues and I was wild; I was out of control.”
Currently, Thompson is languishing on Death Row, as he awaits a date for his execution.