Charles Thompson was dating older divorcee Denise Hayslip. She broke up with him and moved on to Darren Cain. Thompson claims he went over to Hayslip's apartment one morning to get his work clothes, and was surprised to see Cain was there, too. Thompson says Cain lunged at him with a knife, so he found a gun and shot the pair in a struggle. Hayslip died six days later in the hospital. The prosecution claimed Thompson was completely at fault, and a danger to society. He claimed it was the hospital's fault.