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Inset: Courtney Allen Thompson Jr. (Galveston County Jail). Background: The home in Galveston, Texas, that Thompson set ablaze, killing a 55-year-old woman (KTRK).
A Texas man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after setting a deadly fire in a tragic case of a debt dispute that ended with the death of an innocent woman. Courtney Allen Thompson Jr., age 22, was found guilty of capital murder following the death of 55-year-old Renita Hawthorne in Galveston.
In February 2024, the Galveston fire and police departments responded to a devastating blaze in the 700 block of 39th Street. Emergency crews managed to rescue three individuals, including two children, by breaking through a bedroom window. Unfortunately, they could not reach Hawthorne in time, and she succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning and severe burns.
The fire was quickly identified as a case of arson. Investigators focused on Thompson and a local drug dealer known as Xavier Faison, or “Saccathon,” though Faison himself was not charged. During the trial, Hawthorne’s son revealed that Faison had been issuing threats to both him and his mother over an outstanding drug debt.
According to court records cited by CBS affiliate KHOU, Faison had sent messages to the son, including ominous warnings like “See y’all ready to play” and “Don’t your mama drive that truck with the window busted?” These chilling communications underscored the tension and threat that preceded the tragic incident.
According to court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KHOU, Faison sent messages to Hawthorne’s son saying “See y’all ready to play” and “Don’t your mama drive that truck with the window busted?”
Surveillance video depicted a black vehicle driving around the area. The SUV stopped and two men, including one holding a gas can, walked up to the home. They ran away and flames erupted at the home shortly thereafter.
Thompson poured gasoline in the entry points of the home, making it impossible to escape without the help of firefighters.
Prosecutors said Faison bragged about the fire in a video posted to his Instagram page, saying he was prepared to burn down all of Galveston and hoped Hawthorne was dead.
At trial, jurors also heard from a jailhouse informant who said Thompson admitted to setting the fire. The informant said he came forward because he did not like how Thompson was bragging about killing an innocent woman.
Prosecutor Adam Poole represented the state in the case.
“During closing arguments, Poole argued that setting the fire at each of the doors showed that Thompson’s intent was to trap and kill everyone inside, and likened his actions to building a tomb and then setting it on fire. Poole referenced one of Thompson’s Instagram posts in arguing that Thompson saw Renita Hawthorne as a stack of cash that he could balance in his head and flaunt on social media.”