Texas carried out the first US execution of 2026 on January 28. Charles Victor Thompson, 55, died by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, marking another round in the state government’s endless pursuit of capital punishment. In 2001, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) vacated that sentence due to a Sixth Amendment violation, as Thompson’s guarantee of legal representation had already taken effect. Several high-profile appeals loom over Texas’ death row:Robert Roberson was convicted of killing his daughter Nikki in 2002. Of the 47 executions in 2025, 39 were by lethal injection, five by nitrogen hypoxia, and three by firing squad.