Courtney Allen Thompson, 20, was convicted of capital murder for setting a fire that killed Renita Hawthorne.
GALVESTON, Texas — A Galveston man was convicted of capital murder Monday for setting a fire that killed a 55-year-old mother in 2024, according to the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office.
Courtney Allen Thompson, 20, was found guilty in the death of Renita Hawthorne, who died after a fire tore through her Galveston home on Feb. 29, 2024, on Avenue H at 39th Street. Adam Poole, chief of the Felony Division of the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office, confirmed the verdict.
A fire marshal determined that flames had been intentionally set on both sets of outside stairs at the home, trapping everyone inside. An arson K-9 detected accelerant on the stairs.
Court records show that Hawthorne’s son had been receiving threatening texts from a man he allegedly owed money to. The messages included, “See y’all ready to play” and “Don’t you mama drive that truck with the window busted.”
Cell phone evidence and a traffic stop led detectives to a gas station on 53rd Street, where surveillance video showed Thompson and another man purchasing and filling a gas can hours before the fire. Video from near the victim’s home then showed two men, one carrying a gas can, walking toward the house shortly before the fire broke out. The same two men were later seen running away without the can.
When firefighters arrived, they found three people attempting to escape through a window and used a ladder to pull them out. Hawthorne was found unconscious inside the burning home. All four victims were rushed to UTMB Health, but Hawthorne did not survive. Hawthorne’s son, the alleged target of the threats, was not in the home at the time of the fire.
Thompson was arrested in Houston on March 12, 2024.
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