3 Tucson prisoners killed: Reform advocate says she warned staff

TUCSON, Ariz. - A notorious criminal known for taking two prison guards hostage in Buckeye back in 2004 is accused of killing three inmates in Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson on Friday, April 4.

Ricky Wassenaar is currently serving 16 life sentences for that crime.

What they're saying:

A prison reform advocate warned the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) that he would strike again.

Donna Leone Hamm said she sent email after email, begging those who run Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson to isolate Wassenaar. 

How did she know he was so dangerous?

Well, because Wassenaar told her he had found her and called her, saying if the prison didn’t isolate him, that he would kill again. 

She says it appears no action was ever taken.

"This was the most unusual call in 41 years of prisoner advocacy that I have ever received," said Hamm, director of Middle Ground Prison Reform.

‘He was warning them himself’

He called her in November 2024 after he said he strangled his cellmate to death. He told her to intervene before he did it again.

That cellmate was Joseph Desisto. He was serving a life sentence for several counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

"He seemed to want to kill any person who would be put in a cell with him," Hamm said.

So, when Hamm learned that Wassenaar was accused of killing three more inmates, she called FOX 10.

"They had ample warning about Ricky Wassenaar," she said. "He was warning them himself."

Starting last winter, Hamm says she sent the director of ADCRR, Ryan Thornell, email after email.

"You have to keep him in a cell by himself, he’s threatening to kill anyone who is housed in a cell with him," she said.

Dig deeper:

She says they investigated and denied Wassenaar was responsible for Desisto's death. But, Hamm kept pushing and reaching out to the county attorney to get involved. 

Her warnings went unheeded. 

Now, prisoners Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage and Donald Lashley, are dead. ADCRR is calling Wassenaar the "sole suspect" in their deaths.

"I don’t know. There’s no explanation. No plausible explanation with all of those red flags. Why would they ignore them?" Hamm said.

Alvarez was in prison for first-degree murder, Harnage was in for sexual misconduct with a minor, and Lashley was in for sexual misconduct with a minor and child molestation.

What's next:

Hamm is asking Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to intervene, and get an outside investigator to figure out what's going on inside Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson.

ADCRR is working with the medical examiner's office to figure out how these three prisoners were killed on April 4.

In the news release announcing the three deaths, ADCRR said, "The ADCRR takes situations involving violence seriously and will pursue prosecution against any suspects believed to be involved in the case."

ADCRR give more details:

ADCRR released more information about the deadly incident at the prison on the afternoon of April 7.

"On April 4, 2025, at approximately 7:15 AM, staff at the Cimarron Unit of ASPC-Tucson initiated an incident response due to an altercation between inmates near the dining area. The team responded quickly, and medical staff appeared onsite shortly thereafter, establishing order and beginning life-saving measures to Donald Lashley, ADCRR #364250, and Thorne Harnage, ADCRR #372231. Inmate Wassenaar was taken into custody without further incident. Later that day, he was transported to ASPC-Eyman’s maximum custody housing unit, where he remains.

During this time period, housing unit staff discovered inmate Saul Alvarez, ADCRR #138773, in his cell with injuries and began life-saving measures.
Further details about Friday’s incident are not available at this time as the investigation remains active."

It also detailed more about Wassenaar's time in the ADCRR system.

"In June 2005, following convictions for his involvement in a significant hostage situation, inmate Wassenaar was transferred out of Arizona and moved between several other state DOCs before returning to ADCRR in May 2018, where he was housed as a maximum custody inmate.

In March 2024, inmate Wassenaar’s custody level was reduced from maximum to close custody, in accordance with policy, as he had been behaviorally compliant since his return to Arizona in 2018. During his transition to close custody, inmate Wassenaar was informed and agreed that he would receive a cellmate.

The ADCRR has no reason to believe that inmate Wassenaar had any involvement in the death of his cellmate, Joseph Desisto, 81, in early November 2024; conversely, inmate Wassenaar sought emergency medical attention for inmate Desisto. The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner (ME) reported to ADCRR that the death of inmate Desisto was due to the presence of natural causes due to several underlying health conditions. Further, the ME noted that there were no injuries to the body consistent with trauma, including the method of death that inmate Wassenaar claimed to have used. Given this official information from the ME and ADCRR’s investigation indicating the absence of any information demonstrating otherwise, the ADCRR treated and classified Wassenaar according to policy.

Any claims that staffing levels at ASPC-Tucson on Friday, April 4, 2025, are to blame for the incident are untrue. Staff responded with the necessary personnel to assist with the situation quickly and properly, and took inmate Wassenaar into custody without further incident."

‘Nothing short of a tragedy’

ADCRR Director Thornell's statement reads, in full:

"What happened at the Cimarron Unit last Friday was nothing short of a tragedy. Violence of any kind is not tolerated. The ADCRR team works tirelessly every day to put policies, practices and services in place to mitigate threats of violence and to provide an environment where appropriate interaction and rehabilitation are the expectation. Unfortunately, what occurred last week was a senseless act by one person who appeared to be solely focused on seeking harm to these specific individuals without any prior warning. It was a heinous act, and we will continue to investigate it and hold inmate Wassenaar accountable to the fullest extent of the law. I am proud of the quick response by the staff at ASPC-Tucson that morning. Their training kicked in immediately, quickly subduing the situation and ensuring no other inmates were seriously injured as bystanders in the immediate aftermath."

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