William Paul Thompson

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."

On March 25, 1984, Thompson and a fellow transient, 44-year-old Robert Herman Boyle, were drinking at the Murderer's Bar, located about 4 miles northeast of Auburn, California. In there, they met brothers Robert and John Pariset, 35 and 28 respectively, who were out fishing and gold panning in the area. They befriended and drank alcohol with the pair, but unbeknownst to the brothers, Boyle was informed by Thompson that he was getting annoyed with the two men due to their noisy motorcycles and Robert's drunkenness, but took little notice of his friend's warning. That same evening, the four men went to Thompson and Boyle's campsite to drink tequila and smoke marijuana, and after some time, Boyle and John Pariset went to the camper van to get some sleeping bags, leaving Robert and Thompson alone. When they returned, they found Robert lying on the ground, but incorrectly assumed that he had fallen asleep. When Boyle went inside to get the blankets, he suddenly heard a gunshot and went back outside, only to find that Thompson had shot John in the head with a .22 revolver, and was rummaging through the brothers' pockets.

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. On September 27, he was sentenced to death, which Thompson appeared to receive rather calmly, as he was seen patting his attorney on the back and thanking him for the hard work until he was led out of the room. His execution date was set for December of that year, but as per procedure, it was automatically appealed to the court system.

Despite his extensive criminal record, Thompson married a woman sometime during the 1970s, but their marriage was short-lived, as she passed away from cancer in 1982. After this, he grew more violent, and claimed that he committed his first murders shortly after, but this has never been definitively confirmed.

William Paul "Bud" Thompson (May 2, 1938 – June 19, 1989) was an American criminal and spree killer, as well as a self-admitted serial/contract killer. Convicted for three murders committed between March and April 1984 in California and Nevada, he later admitted three additional murders in three other states which were never substantiated. Sentenced to death for the Nevada killing, he withdrew his appeals and was subsequently executed in 1989.

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 the rest of his life, Thompson would be repeatedly incarcerated in both state and federal institutions for crimes including burglary, forgery, safecracking and counterfeiting, with him claiming that he had criminal records in New York, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Kansas. When he was not behind bars, Thompson would travel around the county and find employment in various odd jobs, as well as a boxer and Salvation Army soldier.