A convicted murderer serving multiple life sentences in Arizona allegedly killed fellow three inmates while behind bars.
Convicted murderer kills three more
According to reports from KOLD News, 65-year-old Ricky Wassenaar, currently serving 16 life sentences, is believed to have murdered three other inmates—Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage, and Donald Lashley— last week at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson’s Cimarron Unit.
Authorities stated that Wassenaar acted with “intent to harm,” and no other suspects are currently being sought.
All three victims were incarcerated for serious crimes. Alvarez had been convicted of murder, Harnage was imprisoned for sexual offenses involving a minor, and Lashley was serving time for child molestation.
Wassenaar gained notoriety in 2004 for orchestrating one of the most prolonged prison hostage situations in the nation’s history.
During that standoff, he and another inmate held two guards hostage at the Lewis Prison Complex in Buckeye, Arizona, for 15 days.
He reportedly used a disguise to gain access to a watchtower by overpowering a guard with a makeshift weapon.
Prison reform advocate warned he would kill again
A longtime prison reform advocate, Donna Leone Hamm, claims the recent bloodshed might have been prevented.
Hamm, director of Middle Ground Prison Reform, said she warned Arizona’s Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) repeatedly about Wassenaar’s threats to kill again if not isolated.
“This was the most unusual call in 41 years of prisoner advocacy that I have ever received,” Hamm stated.
She described how Wassenaar reached out to her by phone in November 2024 after claiming responsibility for killing his former cellmate, Joseph Desisto—a convicted child sex offender serving a life sentence.
“He seemed to want to kill any person who would be put in a cell with him,” Hamm said. “They had ample warning about Ricky Wassenaar. He was warning them himself.”
According to Hamm, prison officials denied Wassenaar’s involvement in Desisto’s death at the time, despite her persistent outreach to both ADCRR and the county attorney’s office. ”
There’s no explanation. No plausible explanation with all of those red flags. Why would they ignore them?” she asked.
In response to the triple homicide, ADCRR officials relocated Wassenaar to a more secure facility in Florence.
“ADCRR’s Office of the Inspector General has begun an initial criminal investigation related to the inmate’s deaths,” prison authorities said in a statement.
“All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner’s office. The ADCRR takes situations involving violence seriously and will pursue prosecution against any suspects believed to be involved in the case.”
Convicted murderer gets lethal injection in Florida after losing obesity appeal
In a separate case drawing national attention, Florida carried out the execution of a death row inmate whose appeal was based on his weight and associated health conditions.
Michael Tanzi, 48, was put to death by lethal injection at Florida State Prison Tuesday evening.
He was convicted in the April 2000 kidnapping, rape, and murder of 32-year-old Janet Acosta, a Miami Herald employee.
Tanzi’s legal team had filed a last-ditch appeal arguing that his “morbid obesity” and sciatica would cause excessive pain during execution, which they claimed would violate constitutional protections.
The Florida Supreme Court rejected the appeal, citing its untimely filing and the longstanding nature of Tanzi’s health issues.
A corrections spokesperson confirmed that Tanzi was pronounced dead at 6:12 p.m.
He had awakened at 4:45 a.m., met with a spiritual adviser, and consumed his final meal prior to the execution.
According to the Associated Press, Tanzi apologized to Acosta’s family in his final statement and recited a Bible verse before his death. He died three minutes later.
Court records revealed the brutal circumstances of Acosta’s murder. On April 25, 2000, while she was taking a break in her vehicle, Tanzi approached and punched her in the face.
He then forced her into the passenger seat at knifepoint and drove to Homestead, stopping along the way to rob her and confiscate her debit card. He then drove to the Florida Keys.
According to a summary from the Florida Commission on Capital Cases, Tanzi used Acosta’s card to purchase duct tape and razor blades before driving to a secluded location in Cudjoe Key.
There, he told her he was going to kill her and went on to strangle her to death.
Friends and coworkers reported Acosta missing, which led investigators to her van in Key West.
Tanzi later confessed to the crime and guided law enforcement to her body. He was ultimately found guilty of multiple offenses including first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, and carjacking.
Despite multiple appeals over the years, the courts upheld his conviction and death sentence.
His final appeal, based on his physical condition, was denied with the court noting that similar claims involving health-related execution concerns had been previously rejected.
