William Paul Thompson

William Paul "Bud" Thompson (May 2, 1938 – June 19, 1989) was an American serial killer and self-described contract killer. Convicted for murders of three men committed between March and April 1984 in California and Nevada, he later confessed to three additional murders (which remain unsubstantiated) in three other states. Sentenced to death for a Nevada killing, he withdrew his appeals and was subsequently executed in 1989.

Early life William Paul Thompson was born on May 2, 1938, in Wichita Falls, Texas, but moved to New York with his family at an early age. His father, William Webb Thompson, was a violent alcoholic who beat his family during his drinking binges, causing his son to grow resentful of his father and start drinking and stealing at age 12, for which he was sent to reform school. Throughout his life, Thompson was repeatedly incarcerated in both state and federal institutions for crimes including burglary, forgery, safecracking and counterfeiting. They befriended and drank alcohol with the pair, but unbeknownst to the brothers, Thompson informed Boyle was informed that he was getting annoyed with the two men due to their noisy motorcycles and Robert's drunkenness. Boyle took little notice of his friend's warning. Later in the evening, the four men went to Thompson and Boyle's campsite to drink tequila and smoke marijuana. Boyle and John Pariset then went to the camper van to get some sleeping bags, leaving Robert and Thompson alone. Boyle headed to Salt Lake City, Utah while Thompson continued towards Reno, committing multiple robberies along the way. On April 21, he was waiting to hop a train near the Sands Hotel at the camp of 28-year-old unemployed transient Randy Waldron. Deciding that he needed cash and a false ID, Thompson pulled out his pistol and shot Waldron in the head four times. He then rifled through his pockets and fled. Half an hour later in the same area, he attempted to rob two women, Barbara Johnson and Susan Black, at gunpoint.

Trials and imprisonment Days after his capture, Thompson was positively identified as Waldron's killer through his gun, whose bullets were found to be a match to those found at the crime scene, as well as them finding some of Waldron's personal possessions on him. Since he was still in Nevada's jurisdiction, it was decided that he would first be tried for Waldron's murder, while Boyle (who had been arrested earlier in the week in Salt Lake City) had already been extradited to the Placer County Jail.

In the meantime, Boyle, who had been charged in the Auburn homicides, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges, with his first court hearing set to take place on May 2. The hearings were later delayed, as the judge ruled it would be appropriate to first see the outcome of Thompson's trial in Nevada before they take action. The trial officially began on September 17, 1984, with the prosecutors announcing from get-go that they would seek the death penalty against Thompson. During the proceedings, prosecutor Jerry Mowbray described the defendant as a "[...] psychopathic killer, a man who likes to kill", while Thompson's attorney, Richard Campbell, tried to portray Randy Waldron, a convicted felon, as the aggressor, claiming that he had attacked his client during a sudden rage induced by inhaling paint fumes, and the killing was done in self-defense. The latter's claims were found to be implausible by the jury, who, after a week-long trial, returned a verdict of guilty on all charges for Thompson. His execution date was set for December of that year, but as per procedure, it was automatically appealed to the court system.

In early December, Thompson was extradited to California and detained at Folsom State Prison to await trial for the murders of the Parisets. By that time, it was determined that Boyle had little to no actual involvement in the killings, and as part of a deal struck with the prosecutor, he would testify against Thompson in exchange for immunity. Before the sentence could be applied, his lawyer requested that Thompson undergo medical tests to determine whether he had brain lesions that might have affected his judgment at the time of the crimes, which was accepted. No such lesions were found, and Thompson was subsequently sentenced to a 25-year-to-life term, before being returned to Nevada's death row.

Execution In the following years, Thompson dropped all of his appeals, both state and federal, stating he wished to die with dignity.

On June 19, 1989, Thompson was executed via lethal injection at the Nevada State Prison. He spent the last hours of his life talking to the prison chaplain and another death row inmate, and just before entering the chamber, guards reported that his last words were "Thank you for letting me die with dignity."