State Representative Quang Nguyen (R-1) is seeking answers and accountability for the April 4th murders of three inmates in the Arizona State Prison Complex, saying, "This matter must not be brushed aside or left to internal spin. It demands more than an internal review — it demands openness and accountability to the public we serve."
Longtime inmate Ricky "Rooster" Wassenaar, convicted of 16 life sentences after his leading role in a 2004 prison escape attempt that led to a 16-day hostage crisis, has been accused of killing three fellow inmates, Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage and Donald Lashley, at the beginning of April.
According to the Arizona Mirror, Alvarez, Harnage, and Lashley were all convicted of sexual crimes involving minors. Wassenaar suffocated and stabbed Alvarez to death after the latter was placed in his cell and then attacked Harnage and Lashley as they waited in line for breakfast with a rock in a laundry bag.
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"Child molesters: I wanted to kill them all. That's all I can say," Wassenaar told the Mirror in a phone call, adding, "The taxpayers no longer have to pay for them. I'm paying my debt to society."
"The fact that Ricky Wassenaar — a violent criminal with an extensive history, including the 2004 hostage crisis at Lewis Prison — was able to take the lives of three fellow inmates demands an immediate and honest explanation," Rep. Nguyen said in his press release, adding, "The public is entitled to know why someone serving multiple life sentences was not tightly secured. His capacity to kill three other inmates in a single day suggests that either the management and operation of the Tucson facility is incompetent, or our system has become dangerously lenient when firmness is required."
As a result, the Prescott Valley Representative called for deep investigations into why Wassenaar had been placed in a lower-security wing of the prison despite his history of violence, disciplinary violations, and for supposedly killing another inmate last year. However, the Mirror noted that the death of Joseph Desisto, another convicted sexual abuser of a minor whom Wassenaar claimed to have killed, was ruled inconclusive.
"The Department knew who Wassenaar was. They were warned. They ignored the warnings. Now, three people are dead," Nguyen continued. "This matter must not be brushed aside or left to internal spin. It demands more than an internal review — it demands openness and accountability to the public we serve. The safety of correctional staff and inmates alike depends on the Department's ability to recognize and act upon clear warning signs."
