Arizona Senate committee launches probe after inmate allegedly kills 3 others in prison

PHOENIX – An Arizona Senate committee is launching an investigation into the state corrections department after an inmate allegedly killed three other men in prison earlier this month.

“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,” Sen. Kevin Payne, chairman of the Senate Public Safety Committee, said in a press release announcing the probe Monday.

Ricky Wassenaar is the lone suspect in the April 4 deaths of Saul Alvarez, Thorne Harnage and Donald Lashley at Arizona State Prison Complex-Tucson, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry (ADCRR).

Wassenaar is serving multiple life sentences and has a long history of violence. For example, he was convicted on 19 charges for his involvement in a 2004 hostage situation while he was incarcerated at the Lewis prison in Buckeye. That incident is known as the longest prison hostage standoff in U.S. history.

As part of the Arizona Senate investigation, Payne requested information in a letter sent to ADCRR Director Ryan Thornhill.

“I find it incredibly disturbing an inmate with this history was not in maximum custody and had less restrictive access to correctional officers and other inmates,” wrote Payne.

What information is Arizona Senate panel seeking?

Payne, who represents District 27, requested a timeline of the events leading up the inmate murders, information about staffing and additional details about Wassenaar’s time in prison.

The West Valley Republican also asked for a list of all policy changes implemented during Thornhill’s tenure.

On Friday, ADCRR announced a series of actions designed to curtail inmate violence within its high-risk close custody units, including Tucson’s Cimarron unit, where the recent inmate murders occurred.

“The actions being taken in these close custody units will ensure the personal safety of staff and inmates,” Thornhill said in a press release. “We will not allow continued negative behavior to disrupt our orderly operations or jeopardize the security of our institutions.”

Visitation at certain units was closed indefinitely while the new procedures were being implemented.

In his press release, Payne called what happened in Tucson “inexcusable and incredibly troubling.”

“Director Thornell has some explaining to do, and the more time that passes by before we can determine the missteps that lead to these murders, the longer our law enforcement will be in danger of losing their own lives at the hands of inmates,” he said.

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