EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – A state lawmaker says he has launched an investigation of Arizona’s corrections system following the murder of three inmates at a Tucson facility this month.
State Sen. Kevin Payne, R-Peoria, on Monday sent a letter to the head of the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry giving him a May 1 deadline to produce copies of reports, staffing levels and rosters and other information regarding the April 4 incident.
That day, an inmate serving 16 life sentences and linked to a 2004 prison hostage crisis allegedly inflicted fatal injuries on three fellow inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson.
“What transpired within this prison is inexcusable and incredibly troubling,” Payne said in announcing the probe. “I fear for the lives of the correctional officers and staff who are reporting to duty every day and risking their safety in a facility that has proven it cannot prevent dangerous criminals from inflicting violence.”
The department of corrections earlier confirmed inmate Ricky Wassenaar is a suspect in the deaths of Saul Alvarez, a convicted murderer, and Thorne Harnage and Donald Lashley, two convicted sex offenders.
Preliminary reports from the department’s Office of the Inspector General suggest Wassenaar “acted with intent to harm” the three men and acted alone.
Wassenaar’s rap sheet includes 19 convictions for charges ranging from kidnapping and deadly assault to attempted escape and sex offenses.
Payne, Arizona Senate Public Safety Committee chair, said he’s concerned about the safety of prison employees and inmates.
“The murder of three inmates in one of our state’s prisons is deeply troubling and raises significant questions about the safety and security protocols of Arizona correctional facilities,” Payne said in his letter. “How was an individual currently serving 16 consecutive life sentences and who reportedly confessed to killing his cellmate in 2024 in a position to inflict this level of harm?”
KSAZ earlier reported that a prison advocate said Wassenaar called her last November telling her he had just “strangled his cellmate to death” and asking her to intervene before he “did it again.”
State prison officials told the Phoenix TV station that Wassenaar’s cellmate died due to underlying health conditions.
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