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.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
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.”
He explained further, “If I would have waited until that chute was locked — that cage was locked, and we were all in there locked in — I would have killed at least seven. My goal was at least seven, but I was hoping for a baker’s dozen.”
Wassenaar said that he gave prison guards fair warning of his alleged plans to murder inmates who were child molesters, including the apparent killing of one of his cellmates in November 2024. Joseph Desisto, who was convicted of child molestation and abuse, was found dead in the cell he shared with Wassenaar at the time. The 81-year-old’s death was ruled to be due to natural causes.
After describing to KPHO how he reportedly strangled Desisto to death, he said he was never accused of killing his cellmate.
“When I got back to the yard, the inmates couldn’t believe it because they all know that I killed that dude,” he said. “All of the inmates knew. And they send me back on the yard, they said, ‘What the hell?’ and I said, ‘Man, there’s higher powers, higher powers at work here.’ It’s going to recur. It’s going to recur when they put someone else in my cell. So, I warned them at least a month.”
He reportedly told KPHO that his alleged killing of Desisto amounted to a rehearsal. When asked by the reporter if he was a “monster,” Wassenaar responded, “Of course not! I don’t consider … yeah, okay, if you’re a child molester, if you hurt children, you abuse children, I’m their monster. I’m their monster.”
Wassenaar was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and remains incarcerated.
