A Galveston jury has sentenced a 22-year-old man to life in prison after concluding he started a house fire that killed a woman who was not his intended target. The case, prosecutors say, began as a dispute over an alleged drug debt and ended with a deadly arson that trapped residents inside their home.
Courtney Allen Thompson Jr. was convicted of capital murder for the February 2024 blaze that claimed the life of 55-year-old Renita Hawthorne. Firefighters responding to the scene on the 700 block of 39th Street rescued three people, including two children, but were unable to reach Hawthorne before she succumbed to carbon monoxide and thermal injuries.
Galveston investigators quickly treated the fire as deliberate. Surveillance footage showed a dark SUV circling the area before stopping; two men walked to the house, one carrying a gas can, and fled moments before flames erupted. Prosecutors say Thompson poured gasoline at multiple entry points, creating conditions that prevented occupants from escaping without outside help.
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Authorities also investigated a second man, identified in court records as Xavier Faison, who goes by the nickname Saccathon. Hawthorne’s son told the court he and his mother had received threats tied to an unpaid drug-related debt. Prosecutors presented social-media material they say showed Faison boasting about the blaze and expressing the hope that Hawthorne would be dead.
At trial jurors heard testimony from a jailhouse informant who said Thompson admitted setting the fire and later bragged about the outcome. Prosecutors used that testimony alongside video evidence and messages recovered during the probe to argue Thompson intended to trap — and kill — everyone inside the house. The state was represented by prosecutor Adam Poole.
- Defendant: Courtney Allen Thompson Jr., 22
- Victim: Renita Hawthorne, 55 (died from smoke inhalation and burns)
- Location: 700 block of 39th Street, Galveston, Texas
- Incident date: February 2024
- Charge and sentence: Convicted of capital murder; sentenced to life in prison
- Additional person of interest: Xavier Faison (known as Saccathon) — discussed in court but not charged in this prosecution
- Key evidence: Surveillance video, social-media posts, jailhouse informant testimony, physical indicators of arson
The prosecution argued that targeting doorways with accelerant demonstrated an objective beyond intimidation: to seal exits and endanger everyone inside. During closing arguments, the state pointed to social-media behavior and the defendant’s alleged admissions to paint a portrait of calculated violence, not a spontaneous act.
For residents and public-safety officials, the case highlights several practical concerns: how disputes tied to illegal drug activity can escalate to lethal outcomes, the role of digital evidence in modern arson and homicide investigations, and the challenge firefighters face when deliberate barriers obstruct escape.
Family members and neighbors have been left to reckon with the loss. Court materials show the investigation combined physical evidence with digital leads and witness testimony to secure a conviction — a reminder that prosecutors increasingly rely on a mix of traditional and online sources to reconstruct violent incidents.
