Galveston man gets life for arson murder of woman over her son’s unpaid drug debt

GALVESTON COUNTY, Texas - A Galveston County jury has found a man guilty of capital murder for a planned arson attack that killed a woman over a drug debt owed by her son.

Courtney Allen Thompson, Jr., 22, received an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole on Monday for the February 2024 death of 55-year-old Renita Hawthorne.

Murder by arson

The backstory:

Both the Galveston Fire and Police Department were called to a home on 39th Street where four people were trapped inside a house on fire.

Firefighters were able to rescue three people, including two children, by breaking through a bedroom window. However, Hawthorne was trapped inside and was later found unconscious inside the home. She was taken to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston Trauma Center, where she later died from carbon monoxide poisoning and thermal injuries.

The fire was ruled an arson by the Galveston Fire Marshall's Office.

Thompson was arrested on South Post Oak Road in Houston.

On April 27, Thompson's trial began and Galveston County District Attorney Felony Division Chief Adam Poole for the prosecution. He argued that Thompson intentionally set a fire at every exit of the home to ensure no one could escape.

"He likened Thompson’s actions to building a tomb and then setting it on fire," the DA’s office said.

Evidence shown during trial

What they're saying:

According to reports, Poole showed jurors text messages from an anonymous phone number sent to Hawthorne’s son and girlfriend threatening him and his family because he was unable to pay a drug debt. Hawthorne’s son testified Xavier Faison was the drug dealer that had been threatening him and his mother.

Surveillance video from the night of the murder was shown to the jury and a black vehicle could be seen circling the victim’s house while two men, one dressed in a blue hoodie and carrying a red gasoline can, walked towards the house. In the video, the men were seen running away as the fire grew bigger in the background.

Faison posted on his Instagram account the morning after saying that they had burned down the victim’s house, that they were prepared to burn down all of Galveston, and that he hoped she was dead.

Thompson was also seen on camera buying gasoline in a red container blocks away from the victim's home. He was wearing a blue hoodie that matched clothing seen on his personal Instagram page.

The DA's Office also claims a jail informant testified that Thompson confessed he was hired by Fiason to commit the murder due to an unpaid drug debt. The informant told the court he came forward because he did not like Thompson "bragging" about killing an innocent woman.

Galveston Fire Marshall Chris Harrison also testified that the pattern of the fire showed it was intentionally set with ignition points at each of the doors to the residence.