Husband Charged with Killing Mother of Four

JACKSONVILLE � A mother of four was found dead Sunday morning in the driveway of her Cherokee County home, and authorities say the husband was responsible for her death. KETK reports that on Sunday at 9:35 a.m., Kayla Nicole Thompson, 27, of Jacksonville, was discovered deceased at her home in the 1500 block of County Road 3201. The discovery was made by her mother, who was checking on the woman and her four children after other relatives were unable to reach her for several hours. The location is just west of Lake Jacksonville.

According to authorities, family members had been trying to reach Thompson to let her know they had taken her husband, Cedric Dewayne Thompson, 34, to a hospital near Kilgore for medical treatment. They claim he called them earlier in the morning told them he wanted to hurt himself. Cedric Thompson was then taken to a hospital in Longview. Neighbors in the immediate area heard screams for help and came to the driveway to see what was wrong. After they saw the woman dead in the driveway, several calls were placed to 911. Emergency crews arrived on scene within eight minutes, and a Cherokee County deputy arrived on the scene about 10 minutes later. Upon law enforcement arrival, and the mother being pronounced dead by health officials, investigators with the Sheriff’s Office were notified of the situation. Justice Of The Peace Vera Foreman pronounced Thompson dead at the scene. Her body was sent to Dallas for autopsy.

The children were found in the residence and appeared to be unharmed. They were released to their grandparents and later interviewed by staff at the Crisis Center in Jacksonville. Deputies and investigators remained at the Thompson residence until after 6:00 p.m. Sunday while other investigators obtained search warrants for the vehicle Cedric Thompson was driving. An arrest warrant for murder was issued for Cedric Thompson at this time. At about 2:00 p.m., a deputy from Cherokee County, with assistance from the Longview Police Department, arrested Cedric Thompson immediately upon the issuance of the murder warrant by Justice Of The Peace Judge Phillip Grimes. Cedric Thompson was taken before a local magistrate in Kilgore, and taken back to the Cherokee County Jail before 6:00 p.m. Sunday.

Later in the evening, a search warrant was obtained for the vehicle, which was located at a home just south of Marshall, on FM-31 in Harrison County. A Cherokee County investigator traveled to Marshall and was assisted by an investigator with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office in locating and seizing the vehicle. The vehicle was brought back to Cherokee County around 1:00 a.m. Monday. Cedric Thompson remains in custody at the Cherokee County Jail and was arraigned by Justice Of The Peace Brenda Dominy. His bond was set at $1 million. No details of the injuries sustained by the victim or a possible motive are being released at this time. Final autopsy results will not be available to the sheriff’s office for several weeks, according to officials.