Texas inmate Charles Victor Thompson, convicted of a 1998 double murder, was put to death Wednesday, becoming the first person executed in the U.S. this year, the Associated Press said.

A Texas death row inmate who gained notoriety after a brazen escape from jail has been executed for the double murder of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend in 1998.

Previously in court, prosecutors had said Thompson and Hayslip had been romantically involved for a year but split after Thompson "became increasingly possessive, jealous and abusive."