By Matthew Holloway |

Pinal County Attorney Brad Miller announced Monday that prosecutors have filed a Notice of Intent to seek the death penalty against inmate Ricky Wassenaar in connection with the killings of three fellow inmates.

According to a statement released by the Pinal County Attorney’s Office, Wassenaar is charged with three counts of First Degree Murder and one count of Aggravated Assault in the deaths of Donald Lashley, Thomas Harnage, and Saul Alvarez.

“The decision follows a thorough review of the facts, evidence, and applicable laws and was made in consultation and input from experienced prosecutors in the office,” Miller said in the release.

“I believe the death penalty is the appropriate sentence given the defendant’s extensive history of violence,” Miller added.

The Pinal County Attorney’s Office alleges the case meets statutory aggravating factors required under Arizona law to pursue capital punishment.

According to reporting from 12News, the charges stem from a prison attack in 2025 at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Tucson’s Cimarron Unit.

“Child molesters,” Wassenaar told the Arizona Mirror in a phone interview from prison. “I wanted to kill them all.” He also claimed to have killed a fourth prisoner, Joseph Desisto, in 2024. However, an autopsy determined Desisto died from natural causes.

In a May 2025 interview with AZ Family, Wassenaar said he considered the murders a “favor” for society, saying, “They were child molesters. Alvarez had raped, had kidnapped. First, he came to this country illegally. Then he kidnapped and raped and murdered a 15-year-old little girl. I did society a favor by killing that f****t. The other two, Harnage and Lashley, were both sexual child predators that molested several victims. So, I did society a favor.”

Wassenaar is one of Arizona’s most widely known prison inmates due to his role in the 2004 hostage standoff at the Lewis prison complex in Buckeye. During that incident, as reported by NBC News, Wassenaar and another inmate held two correctional officers hostage for approximately 15 days before surrendering. The Arizona Daily Independent reported that Wassenaar was already serving multiple life sentences prior to the current case.

According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry, Wassenaar’s criminal history includes convictions for armed robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault, and aggravated assault connected to crimes committed before his incarceration.

The case remains an active prosecution, and prosecutors stated that no additional details would be released at this time.

Under Arizona law, a criminal charge is an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.