Death row murder: Arizona prosecutors seek death penalty a second time for 2 inmates

By
Published August 6, 2026 3:58 PM MST

Pete Van Winkle (left) and Tracy Hampton (right) face the death penalty after being charged in the fatal attack of fellow death row inmate Kenneth Thompson.

The Brief

    • Pinal County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against death row inmates Pete Van Winkle and Tracy Hampton for allegedly killing fellow prisoner Kenneth Thompson in 2021.
    • County Attorney Brad Miller said Aug. 6 that the nature of the attack and both men's past criminal records meet the strict legal bar required for execution under Arizona law.
    • Officials haven't released specifics on how the fatal attack happened, citing the ongoing investigation, but confirmed all three men were already on death row.

FLORENCE, Ariz. - Pinal County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against two inmates accused of violently killing a fellow prisoner behind bars, officials announced Thursday.

What we know:

Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller filed a Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty against Pete Van Winkle and Tracy Hampton in connection with the fatal attack on Kenneth Thompson. All three men were incarcerated on death row in 2021 at the time of the alleged murder.

Kenneth W. Thompson (AZDOC)

What they're saying:

Prosecutors said they decided to seek the death penalty after reviewing the evidence and consulting with senior legal experts. They argue the brutality of the attack and the inmates' rap sheets legally justify execution.

READ MORE: Pinal County scraps Flock camera contract

"Seeking the death penalty is among the most consequential decisions a prosecutor can make," Miller said in an Aug. 6 statement. "After a careful and deliberate review, our office determined that the alleged circumstances of this killing and the defendants' histories warrant pursuing the strongest punishment authorized under Arizona law."

Dig deeper:

Van Winkle was sentenced to death for beating fellow Maricopa County jail inmate Robert Cotton to death in his cell in 2008. Hampton was convicted of killing Charles Findley, Tanya Ramsdell and Ramsdell's unborn child in a meth-fueled petty revenge plot in Phoenix in 2001.

Zoom out:

Arizona most recently executed 63-year-old Leroy McGill by lethal injection on May 20 for the "exceptionally cruel" 2002 murder of Charles Perez. That execution marked the first in Arizona for 2026, following a single execution in 2025 and three in 2022 after an eight-year hiatus.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not released specific details regarding the timing or method of the attack that killed Thompson, citing the ongoing nature of the active prosecution.

The Source: Information in this report was gathered from the Pinal County Attorney's Office.

Pinal CountyCrime and Public SafetyNews