Death penalty sought for Arizona prisoner involved in deadly assault in Tucson

PINAL COUNTY, AZ — The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office has decided to seek the death penalty against one of Arizona’s most notorious criminals.

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Ricky Wassenaar was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of dangerous and deadly assault by a prisoner in relation to the April 2025 killing of three fellow inmates at a Tucson prison.

The deaths occurred just months after prison officials had moved Wassenaar from a maximum-security cell to the general population.

See previous ABC15 coverage of Wassenaar in the player above.

Wassenaar is infamous for his role in a 2004 hostage crisis that lasted two weeks. It was the longest prison standoff in Arizona history.

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