Inmate had much bigger plans for his prison killing spree
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Background: Arizona State Prison Complex Tucson, Cimarron Unit, in Tucson, Arizona (Google Maps). Inset: Ricky Wassenaar (Arizona Department of Corrections).

In April, an Arizona inmate is suspected of killing three fellow prisoners in a fight and has now spoken to a reporter, indicating his intention was to have even more victims.

Ricky Wassenaar, 62, gave an interview to KPHO, a local CBS station, for a podcast discussing his alleged involvement in an April 4 clash at the Arizona State Prison Complex Tucson, Cimarron Unit. This incident led to the deaths of three other prisoners — Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage, and Donald Lashley. During the discussion, Wassenaar candidly confessed to the alleged killings, expressing that he had hoped for a larger number of fatalities.

“My goal was at least seven, but I was hoping for a baker’s dozen,” he said, using a colloquialism for the number 13.

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Wassenaar has been incarcerated since 1987 after being convicted of armed robbery. He was part of the infamous 2004 attempted jailbreak at the Lewis Complex that turned into a 15-day standoff. Two guards were held hostage, including one female guard who was raped several times.

In the KPHO podcast interview, Wassenaar said that he specifically targeted inmates who were convicted child sex offenders. One of the alleged victims, Alvarez, was convicted of first-degree murder. Wassenaar told the reporter that his target “kidnapped and raped and murdered a 15-year-old little girl.” He added, “I did society a favor by killing that maggot.”

Harnage and Lashley were both in prison for sexual conduct with a minor; Lashley was also convicted of molestation of a child.

Wassenaar told KPHO that he had “several targets, all child molesters.” But his alleged killing spree was limited because, as he explained, “I jumped the gun.”

He described his position before his alleged attack.

“The way the prison is situated when they let out for breakfast or meal times, they lock us in what they call a chute,” he said. “It’s a cage outside the chow hall. Once we’re locked in, there’s nowhere to run to, we’re all in there.”

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