EP. 267 - ARIZONA: THE PEDOPHILE PRISON KILLER: RICKY WASSENAAR

By 23, Ricky Wassenaar had established himself as a career criminal, destined for a life behind bars. But no one could have possibly expected that his darkest crimes wouldn’t even begin until the cell door shut behind him. Most of our cases end with someone going to prison. But Ricky’s was just beginning. Over a 20-year period, Ricky tried to escape, staged a riot, and ultimately went on to orchestrate a series of murders, ones that ended with Ricky saying, “My only regret is that I didn’t kill more.”- Sources:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eTYeCoYyxm58DXXdoFbHQyWHlWbcH9iKGIefFcQToW4/edit?tab=t.y2yayotxnlcb Listen to our new show, "THE CONSPIRACY FILES"!: -Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5IY9nWD2MYDzlSYP48nRPl -Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/id1752719844 -Amazon/Audible - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/ab1ade99-740c-46ae-8028-b2cf41eabf58/the-conspiracy-files -Pandora - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/the-conspiracy-files/PC:1001089101 -iHeart - https://iheart.com/podcast/186907423/ -PocketCast - https://pca.st/dpdyrcca -CastBox - https://castbox.fm/channel/id6193084?country=us - Stay Connected: Join the Murder in America fam in our free Facebook Community for a behind-the-scenes look, more insights and current events in the true crime world: https://www.facebook.com/groups/4365229996855701 If you want even more Murder in America bonus content, including ad-free episodes, come join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/murderinamerica Instagram: http://instagram.com/murderinamerica/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/people/Murder-in-America-Podcast/100086268848682/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MurderInAmerica TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theparanormalfiles and https://www.tiktok.com/@courtneybrowen Feeling spooky? Follow Colin as he travels state to state (and even country to country!) investigating claims of extreme paranormal activity and visiting famous haunted locations on The Paranormal Files Official Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheParanormalFilesOfficialChannel - (c) BLOOD IN THE SINK PRODUCTIONS 2026 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• 1:29Colin Brown?

  Warning: The following podcast is not suitable for all audiences. We go into great detail with every case that we cover and do our best to bring viewers even deeper into the stories by utilizing disturbing audio and sound effects.

• 1:40Courtney Brown?

  Trigger warnings from the stories we cover may include violence, rape, murder, and offenses against children.

• 1:47Colin Brown?

  This podcast is not for everyone. You have been warned.

• 1:52Courtney Brown?

  In most of our cases, we walk you through a criminal's life. And the story typically ends when they go off to prison. Because after that, there's really not much to tell. The remainder of their lives are spent within concrete walls, following strict schedules, and having minimal contact with the outside world. And ideally, once someone is behind bars, the harm they cause should come to an end. But with the story we have for you today, that's not the case. This criminal's prison sentence was just the beginning. This is the story of Ricky Wassenaar. I'm Courtney Brown.

• 2:27Colin Brown?

  And I'm Colin Brown.

• 2:28Courtney Brown?

  And you're listening to Murder in America.

• 3:34Colin Brown?

  Ricky Kurt Wassenaar was born on April 20, 1963, to parents Ronald Wassenaar and Constance, or Connie Garvey. Ricky grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his four brothers and sisters: Rhonda, Renee, Ronald II, and Randy. While we don't know many details about what their life was like growing up, it's safe to assume that it wasn't easy. Ricky was just one or two years old when his family moved 130 miles west from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And although Ricky was too young to remember the move, it was likely a challenge for the family to adjust to their new lives. But whatever routine the family settled into, it didn't matter.

• 4:14Colin Brown?

  Because on September 29, 1965, their lives would change forever.

• 4:20Courtney Brown?

  Ricky was just two years old when his father, 31-year-old Ronald Wassenaar, and his friend, 26-year-old Terry Lee Bricky, made their way to a local liquor store. Ronald and Terry both had worked at the Tannery Warehouse in Milwaukee, at least for a little while. Now whether they were laid off, fired, or had quit, by September of 1965, they were both unemployed. Money was tight, and they decided they needed to do something about it. As they approached the liquor store, Ronald stayed back while Terry continued through the front doors. Inside was 61-year-old Charles Kahn, the owner. As Terry walked through the empty aisles, he took a slow, careful look around before picking up a single pack of gum.

• 5:05Courtney Brown?

  But he didn't need the gum. He really just wanted to make sure Charles was alone inside the store. But he stepped up to the counter, paid for the gum, and then made his exit. Outside, Ronald had just recovered a 12-gauge shotgun that they had hidden earlier in the surrounding brush. Just moments after they arrived, Terry exited the store and gave Ronald the signal, and from there, they made their entrance. Before Charles had any idea what was going on, Ronald pointed the gun at him, demanding all the money in the register. Now Ronald and Terry claimed that they only wanted to scare Charles and rob the store. They said they never intended for anyone to get hurt. But according to Ronald's story, as he tried to lower the shotgun beneath the counter,

• 5:48Courtney Brown?

  it hit the hard surface and suddenly discharged. Instantly, Charles was hit point-blank by the shot. He collapsed to the floor, blood pouring from his chest. In a panic, Ronald dropped the shotgun next to Charles's body, and the two ran out, leaving all the money in the register behind. And sadly, Charles Kahn would bleed out, dying, right there on the floor of his liquor store.

• 6:14Colin Brown?

  Outside, two teenagers happened to be in the area when they spotted Ronald and Terry running from the liquor store. At first, they brushed it off. But when the news broke the next morning about Charles's death, those teenagers immediately came forward, sharing what they had seen. But even without the eyewitnesses, officers were easily able to trace the shotgun that had been left behind, back to Ronald. So just two days later, on October 1, 1965, Ronald and Terry were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. A few months later, on April 30, 1966, they were both found guilty of third-degree murder and were sentenced to 20 years behind bars at the Green Bay Reformatory in Wisconsin.

• 6:58Courtney Brown?

  With Ricky's father behind bars for the foreseeable future, his mother Connie was left to care for her five children all alone. She knew it was going to be a challenge, and it took everything she had to convince the kids everything was going to be okay. Connie was a devoted Christian, and she heavily relied on her faith to navigate her new role as a single mom. Sometime after Ronald's arrest, Connie moved her family back to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she had the support of her family. And there, one of her brothers became very involved in the children's lives, just doing what he could to support his sister. And this made for some interesting conversations as the children grew up. From an early age, Connie taught her kids the importance of their faith.

• 7:41Courtney Brown?

  She encouraged them to pray, a practice that young Ricky took to heart. Ricky's uncle, however, did not share the same beliefs. In fact, he was an atheist who openly discussed his beliefs with the children. On one occasion, he even told Ricky, quote, "Only weak people need religion to tell them what to do," end quote. So as we can see, from the very beginning, Ricky's life was full of instability and contradictory influences. But eventually, the family found their new normal. Connie worked hard to care for her kids. She even took on a job at a local bookbinding to support them.

• 8:18Colin Brown?

  But despite how hard she tried to give her kids a normal, loving childhood, it was soon apparent to Connie that her son Ricky was anything but normal. Whether from the arrest of his father, his unstable childhood, or something else entirely, Ricky started acting out. Soon, he declared that he hated school, and often he refused to attend. At home, his behavior wasn't any better. There was one occasion, when Ricky was about eight or nine years old, that sticks out in Connie's mind. That afternoon, Ricky had been playing in the backyard. At some point, Connie decided to go outside to check on her son. But as she made her way outside, before Connie could even see Ricky, she heard the banging. Again, and again, and again, she heard the sound of something hitting hard rock.

• 9:03Colin Brown?

  Curious, she headed towards the source of the noise. Quickly, she spotted Ricky, who was ceaselessly pounding a brick to pieces with a hammer. Connie asked what Ricky was up to, and according to her, Ricky replied, "It's better than doing something I don't want to do." Surprised, Connie asked him to elaborate. Ricky, who was not even 10 years old, admitted that he was thinking about breaking into a neighbor's house and stealing their belongings. The comment surprised Connie, but impressed that Ricky had attempted to control his bad behavior, she replied, "You keep hitting that rock, and I'll get you some more."

• 9:39Courtney Brown?

  It's clear that Ricky felt the urge to commit crime from an early age. And sadly, no matter how many bricks he destroyed, that urge never went away. Ricky was 17 years old when he was arrested for the first time. He was charged with larceny and illegal gun possession. Now because he was a minor during this offense, records of his arrest are sealed, so we don't know the severity of the crime, nor what, if any, punishment he received. But ultimately, it's clear that the arrest didn't deter him, because it wasn't long before Ricky was getting himself into trouble once again. This time, Ricky wasn't arrested, but he later admitted that there was other criminal behavior going on after his first arrest. But these crimes would take place in Tucson, Arizona.

• 10:24Courtney Brown?

  Maybe Ricky felt like the authorities in Michigan were looking a little too closely at him, or maybe he wanted to start over somewhere new. While we don't know his motivations, we do know that at some point in his early 20s, Ricky moved over 1,900 miles south to Tucson. A pretty daunting task for most people, but Ricky wasn't worried. In fact, his brother Randy had just relocated to Tucson himself about one year prior. But the state of Arizona had no idea what crimes this new resident would commit.

• 10:58Colin Brown?

  In Arizona, Ricky had a clean slate. He could have started over and made a good life for himself. But instead, it wasn't long before he was tempted back into a life of crime. On November 9th, 1985, 22-year-old Ricky was charged for the abduction and molestation of a three-year-old girl. She'd been abducted right outside of her home by some unknown man, molested, and then dropped back off on the side of the road at a nearby school. She'd only been gone about 45 minutes, and when she was found, her dress had semen stains all over it. And a neighbor who witnessed the abduction quickly copied down the license plate number of the white car. Now, Ricky drove a blue car, but the plate number was almost exactly the same as Ricky's, which is why the police turned to him in the first place.

• 11:42Colin Brown?

  As it turned out, Ricky lived just a few blocks from the girl's home. When the police questioned him, Ricky denied that he had anything to do with that little girl and that he had been driving home from work at the time of her abduction. But despite Ricky's alibi, the evidence kept stacking up against him. A witness in the area positively identified Ricky as the abductor in a lineup, and police even found a t-shirt in the back of Ricky's car, covered in semen. They also found hair in Ricky's car that could have belonged to the three-year-old girl. But by the time the trial rolled around in May of 1986, jurors were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Ricky had been the one responsible for the abduction and molestation.

• 12:23Colin Brown?

  As it turns out, Ricky looked remarkably similar to the girl's ex-stepfather, and the witness that had initially identified him at the scene was no longer sure if they had seen Ricky or the ex-stepfather. Ricky didn't even go to court the day his verdict was announced, which could have been a major problem if he had been found guilty. But as Ricky seemed to suspect, the jury ultimately found him not guilty.

• 12:47Courtney Brown?

  Which left Ricky back on the streets to continue his life of crime. Whether it was for the thrill, the money, or the feeling of power, Ricky and his brother Randy began robbing local drug dealers in the area. How many victims there were, we don't know. But it wasn't long before Ricky got caught. On July 11th, 1986, 23-year-old Ricky was arrested and charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault. The specific details surrounding his arrest are few and far between. But to this day, Ricky is adamant that this crime in particular is one that he did not commit. Regardless, on May 14th, 1987, Ricky was found guilty on both charges and sentenced

• 13:29Courtney Brown?

  to 15 years behind bars at just 24 years old. He was sent to the maximum security unit at the Arizona State Prison Complex. And as we know, this wasn't Ricky's first time in jail, so it wasn't long before he settled into life behind bars. Much like his mother all those years ago, Ricky heavily relied on his faith to get through each day. He made sure to make time to pray almost every night, thinking about the good, the bad, and everything in between. In his free time, Ricky often visited the law library in the prison, reading up on every aspect of the legal system as he could. Even though Ricky hated going to school as a child, he was smart, and it wasn't long before he built up expertise on prison and criminal law.

• 14:12Colin Brown?

  But even though Ricky was now contained behind bars, his criminal record only continued to grow. Just one year into his time served, Ricky went to trial for another armed robbery charge that happened prior to his arrest. During that trial, Ricky even admitted that he was guilty. But despite his own admission to the crime, for some reason, the jury was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt, and Ricky was found not guilty. After hearing the jury's verdict, Ricky, along with many others, was surprised. He stated, "Innocent of the crime for which I was convicted and guilty on the one where I was acquitted, how could I ever take this so-called justice system seriously after that?" So Ricky was sent back to prison to serve the remainder of his 15-year sentence.

• 14:57Colin Brown?

  And for a while, everything seemed to be getting better. Ricky spent the next few years praying, studying the law, and generally exhibiting good behavior. And eventually, it paid off. By September 1996, about nine years into his sentence, Ricky was granted conditional release. He would be transitioned to house arrest on the condition that he would wear an ankle monitor at all times. Of course, he agreed. So on December 31st, 1996, Ricky was officially released from prison. Once again, Ricky had the opportunity to start fresh and build a better life. He found a family he could stay with, and he even found a delivery driver job at a local sandwich store. Ricky had the opportunity and support to change, but even after spending nearly 10

• 15:41Colin Brown?

  years in prison, there was only one thought running through Ricky's head. During an interview, Ricky remembered, "I was going to find that lawyer who bungled my case and kill him. Then I was going to kill the prosecutor and the judge." But before Ricky could act on those urges, he was caught once again in the middle of a robbery.

• 16:00Courtney Brown?

  Only 36 days after his release, Ricky visited an adult video shop in Tucson. As he walked into the store, all Ricky wanted to do was rent a pornographic video. So he walked through the aisles, found the film he wanted, and proceeded to the register to check out. The clerk asked Ricky for his phone number, but the only number Ricky had access to was the number for the family he had been staying with, and he didn't want to give that out. According to Ricky, when he declined to give the phone number, the clerk ridiculed him, so much so that Ricky dropped the video and left the store. But this wasn't the end of it. Frustrated, Ricky couldn't get the interaction out of his mind, and he felt he needed to have the last word.

• 16:42Courtney Brown?

  So the following night, on February 5th, 1997, Ricky grabbed a gun and headed back to the store. This time, just as his father had done all those years ago, Ricky walked straight to the register and brandished the gun. Now, some would call it luck that this exact store had been robbed two separate times that week. So officers were already in the area, and when they were alerted to the disturbance at the store, they made their way over. When Ricky heard them in a panic, he ran outside and hopped into his car, hoping to make a speedy getaway. He had just gotten out of jail, and the last place he wanted to be was back behind bars. But as Ricky sped out of the parking lot, police were close behind. Quickly, a high-speed chase ensued.

• 17:25Courtney Brown?

  From the front seat of the car, Ricky grabbed his gun and tried to shoot at the officers behind him. Up ahead, there was a police officer on a motorcycle closing in. Ricky tried to run this officer off the road, but it was no use. Police were gaining on Ricky rapidly, and he felt his chances of escape dwindle. After a moment, when it was clear to Ricky that he would not be able to get away, he changed his tactic. Now, as he barreled down the dark roads, he was looking for a place to pull over. Specifically, he was looking for somewhere that he could have a shootout with police. At that moment, he decided that he would rather die than return to prison, and he intended to take as many lives as he could with him.

• 18:06Courtney Brown?

  So he sped along as the police closed in, looking for anywhere to make his last stand. But while his attention was elsewhere, Ricky ran a stop sign and was suddenly T-boned by a truck going full speed.

• 18:20Colin Brown?

  The next thing Ricky remembers was waking up in the hospital bed. The collision was so severe that Ricky suffered from broken ribs, a shattered femur, and a concussion. And as he opened his eyes for the first time in the hospital, the very first thing he saw was his mugshot on the TV screen. Ricky remembers, "I looked at my face, the mugshot. I looked in my eyes. Man, I looked like a madman." After the crash, Ricky was unconscious. Officers removed him from the vehicle and placed him once again under arrest. Ricky was charged with several counts of aggravated assault and armed robbery. After the collision, Ricky spent quite a while in the medical unit, but eventually he made a full recovery.

• 19:00Colin Brown?

  And just a few months later, on August 25th, 1997, 34-year-old Ricky was sent to trial. Unhappy with his defense attorney from the previous trial, this time, Ricky chose to represent himself. Using what he had learned from his time in court and the prison law library, Ricky did his best to win the case. And while the state prosecutor admitted that Ricky's defense was credible, ultimately, it was not enough to win the case. Ricky was found guilty, and he would have to spend 15 more years in prison.

• 19:31Courtney Brown?

  Ricky found himself back behind bars, this time at the Lewis Complex within the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry, also known as the ADCRR. And he knew he wasn't getting out anytime soon. So as if nothing had changed, Ricky settled back into the prison routine. He once again took comfort in his faith and frequently prayed. He also got a work assignment at the prison's law library. Everything was like it had been before, but this time, the paranoia crept in. Ricky was convinced that he was being discriminated against by prison officials through frequent punishment. He grew increasingly paranoid and distrustful of prison authorities.

• 20:14Courtney Brown?

  But as the years passed, he could do nothing but wait and bide his time. By 2001, Ricky was about 38 years old, and it was around this point that he was introduced to his new cellmate, a man named Stephen Coy. Like Ricky, Stephen had been in and out of the prison system for most of his life. In 1993, Stephen was sentenced to life in prison after a string of violent assaults and robberies that ended shortly after he robbed a liquor store. But that's not all he did. In fact, during the robbery, while Stephen's pregnant wife waited outside in the getaway car, Stephen raped the clerk of the liquor store. After being sent off to serve out his life sentence, it was apparent to prison officials that Stephen was a problematic inmate.

• 20:58Courtney Brown?

  Officers frequently had to discipline him for possessing narcotics or other contraband. And there were multiple occasions that Stephen even attempted to escape confinement. Stephen Coy knew he was going to spend the rest of his life behind bars, and his cellmate Ricky wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. So the two had plenty of time to get to know each other.

• 21:20Colin Brown?

  As the years passed, Ricky's mother had been an important figure in his life. She visited him in prison whenever she could and did her best to support Ricky and encourage him to make good choices. But by the early 2000s, Connie had become so physically ill that visiting Ricky in Arizona became impossible. When Ricky first heard the news, it troubled him. He even requested to be moved to a prison closer to his mother multiple times, but every single transfer request was denied. Unable to move his facilities legally, Ricky began to brainstorm other options. And it was here that Ricky and his cellmate Stephen began working together to meticulously plan the perfect escape. They spent the next few years noting every detail of the prison, looking for any signs of weakness.

• 22:05Colin Brown?

  They carefully thought through every possible scenario, making sure that when they had the opportunity, things would go the way they wanted. But what they never could have imagined was that this very escape attempt would result in the longest prison standoff in United States history.

• 22:21Courtney Brown?

  It was Sunday, January 18th, 2004, when 40-year-old Ricky Wassenaar and 39-year-old Stephen Coy decided that it was time to act. That very night, Ricky offered to work the graveyard shift cooking in the kitchen. He knew that this particular shift was mostly staffed by the more inexperienced officers. He also knew that there were fewer guards on duty, making it easier to take control. In fact, this particular morning, there was only one officer on duty, Officer Kenneth Martin. In total, Officer Martin was the only one supervising 19 inmates working in the kitchen, including Ricky Wassenaar and Stephen Coy. The first few hours of the shift went by without incident.

• 23:05Courtney Brown?

  Around 3:00 AM, Officer Martin peered into the kitchen. Ricky was at the stove, working on making a stack of pancakes for later that morning. Stephen was nearby, loading dishes into the dishwasher. Everything seemed quiet, a morning just like any other. But Officer Martin had no idea that in just a matter of seconds, that sense of normalcy would be replaced with pure fear. When Ricky decided the moment was right, he wasted no time in grabbing the shank he had hidden, along with an industrial-sized stirring paddle. Then, he made his way straight towards Officer Martin. When he saw Ricky approaching, he immediately knew something was wrong. But before he could figure out exactly what was going on, Ricky had cornered him into a back office.

• 23:49Colin Brown?

  I got nothing to lose, and this is an escape. If you do what I tell you, nobody will get hurt.

• 23:54Courtney Brown?

  Officer Martin could tell that Ricky meant every word that he said. He knew that if he tried to call for help, if he tried to fight back, Ricky would hurt him, or even take his life. So when Ricky ordered him to remove his clothes, Officer Martin complied. He began undressing, and as soon as his clothes were on the ground, Ricky handcuffed him inside the back room. Stephen Coy, meanwhile, focused on the only other staff member working that night, a female kitchen worker. He wasted no time cornering her into that same back office. Grabbing a roll of nearby electrical wire, Stephen bound her hands and feet tightly, making it impossible for her to get help. After both were subdued, Ricky and Stephen returned to the kitchen,

• 24:37Courtney Brown?

  where the 17 other inmates were working that night. These men heard the commotion, they had a feeling something was going on, and their suspicions were soon confirmed when Ricky told them.

• 24:47Colin Brown?

  This is your lucky day, guys. We're getting out of here. If any of you want to go, let's go.

• 24:54Courtney Brown?

  Ricky had expected excitement from the inmates. After all, he was offering them a chance at freedom. But instead, he was met with the loudest sound of all: complete silence. The other inmates made it clear that they wanted no part in this escape attempt. Ricky then realized that these men were not on his side. In fact, they may actually interfere with this plan. So it's here where Ricky forced them all into a small storage closet. While the men huddled inside, Stephen Coy was to remain outside the closet to make sure none of them would get in the way of their escape. Meanwhile, Ricky made his way back to the room with the female staff member and Officer Martin, who was still standing there with no clothing. Inside this room, Ricky shaved his beard.

• 25:39Courtney Brown?

  He then removed his inmate jumpsuit, replacing it with the very same uniform Officer Martin had just dropped on the ground. Once his disguise was complete, Ricky Wassenaar walked right into the night air of the prison yard, right towards the looming watchtower.

• 25:55Colin Brown?

  At the same time, Stephen remained behind to guard the captives in the kitchen. But that's not all he did. While he waited for Ricky to give the all-clear from the tower, Stephen decided to use this opportunity to satisfy his own sick pleasure. He approached the back room, where Officer Martin and the female staff member were tied up. If you recall, Stephen was serving out a life sentence for raping a woman, and he was about to do it again. The female staff member began to panic as Stephen grabbed her legs, untied the cord, and pulled her pants and underwear down. It was then, as she lay bound and frightened beyond all hope, that Stephen raped her.

• 26:35Courtney Brown?

  Outside, Ricky approached the tower's entrance. So far, their plan had been going just as they intended. Within moments, Ricky had quietly subdued the kitchen staff, disguised himself, and made it into the yard before anyone knew what was going on. Next, he had planned to take over the watchtower in order to acquire their guns and supplies before he and Stephen fought their way through the prison's administration building. After that, they truly believed they could make their way to freedom. So slowly but surely, Ricky walked the yard in Officer Martin's uniform, right towards the camera outside the tower entrance. Now, inside that watchtower was 21-year-old Jason Och and 33-year-old Lois Fraley.

• 27:17Courtney Brown?

  Jason was still a rookie, he'd only been on the job for three months. But during their shift, they suddenly heard the sound. That buzzing sound meant that an officer needed to be let through. Lois yelled out to Jason, "Who is it?" And Jason, looking at the monitor, responded with this.

• 27:34Colin Brown?

  I don't know. Looks like Officer Martin.

• 27:37Courtney Brown?

  But Lois was more experienced, and despite seeing the man wearing an officer's uniform, she had a nagging feeling that something wasn't right. However, before she could voice that concern, Jason buzzed him in, thinking it was an officer, but soon enough, he would realize his mistake. Within a few seconds, inmate Ricky Wassenaar was standing in front of them, and his hand was the 30-inch industrial paddle. Ricky then turned to Lois and said this.

• 28:04Colin Brown?

  Oh, you got complacent.

• 28:06Courtney Brown?

  Before either of them could react, Ricky rears back the industrial paddle, and he hit Jason in the face, crushing his orbital bone. Jason collapsed on the floor, pain flooding his body, her fears confirmed. Lois immediately tried to charge at Ricky to knock him off balance, but he was one step ahead of her. Ricky dodged her charge before grabbing her head and beating her with the paddle. He then kneed her in the face, pushing her to the ground before holding a shank to her neck. In a commanding voice, Ricky asked her how to access the weapons and control panel. And fearing that her life was on the line, Lois felt she had no choice but to comply. She gave Ricky the information he needed.

• 28:46Courtney Brown?

  From here, he handcuffed them before gaining access to the store of weapons and control panel. And then he made his way to the top of the tower. Once there, he grabbed the phone and called the prison's kitchen, signaling for Stephen Coy.

• 29:02Colin Brown?

  By 4:50 AM, Ricky had gained complete control of the tower. The takeover had been going on for nearly two hours, and still, no one had raised the alarm. Lois and Jason were terrified, but at some point, they felt a brief sense of relief. Because just outside the tower, they could see the silhouette of two other officers walking by. They tried to get their attention, but it was no use. Now, interestingly, these officers would later admit that they did notice the shape of two people on the ground in the tower, but they didn't think anything of it. They had no idea what they believed was some sort of horseplay was actually Jason and Lois handcuffed and pushed to the floor. After Jason and Lois had been taken hostage, all of their officers had stopped receiving responses from that particular post.

• 29:48Colin Brown?

  And yet, the officers walking through the yard didn't think for a second that anything was amiss as they continued on into the dining hall. It wasn't until they stepped inside that they began to believe that there was something going on. Along the counter, piles of food sat prepped and ready to go, but there was not one inmate in sight. Wondering what was going on, the officers tried to contact Officer Martin, but it was no use. All they received was radio silence.

• 30:15Courtney Brown?

  As their suspicions started to rise, they suddenly saw something out of the corner of their eye. It was Steven Coy. He was peering out behind the kitchen windows for just a moment. Before the officers could react, the sound of the kitchen door unlocking broke the silence in the dining room. Officer Martin emerged. He was wearing nothing but his underwear. And he wasn't alone. Steven Coy was one step behind him. As soon as Officer Martin saw the other officers, he made a run for it, yelling that they needed to alert the prison. But before the other guards could do anything, Steven sprung into action. He grabbed his shank and pinned one of the officers to a wall. Soon after, he lashed out at the other, slashing them across the face with the shank. Then Steven ran full speed into the yard,

• 31:00Courtney Brown?

  hoping to make it to the tower before he was caught. Now by this point, word was spreading that there was a serious situation underway. And more than two hours after the escape attempt began, an alert was finally sent out to the entire prison. A group of officers ran to the yard to see what was going on. And that's when they saw Steven Coy running towards the tower. They ran after him as fast as they could. They tried to pepper spray him. Someone even tackled him to the ground. But before they could subdue him, gunshots sounded all around. From the roof of the watchtower, Ricky Wassenaar fired an AR-15 at the officers, sending them running back for cover. Once Steven Coy was in the clear,

• 31:41Courtney Brown?

  he got up and ran about 50 yards to join Ricky in the tower.

• 31:46Colin Brown?

  By this point, the entire complex had been alerted to the escape attempt and the prison was placed on a complete lockdown. Because of this, it was apparent to Ricky and Steven that they could go no further. Their hopes of freedom dwindled away. But even though their chances of escaping were slim, in the tower, they had power. They had control. Both things that they didn't have in prison. And they weren't ready to give that up just yet. So as prison authorities began to surround the tower, the standoff began. Soon enough, the local police even arrived to assist. Using a phone located in the main control room of the watchtower, the police tried to make contact with Ricky. They hoped that they could negotiate with the inmates, try to get them to surrender. And luckily Ricky picked up the phone.

• 32:31Colin Brown?

  But within seconds of their conversation, it was clear that this would not be an easy negotiation. And to their dismay, this was just the beginning of a multiple day standoff with armed inmates.

• 32:44Courtney Brown?

  Sadly, throughout that time, prison employees Jason Oatch and Lois Fraley would be held hostage. The two were tied up for what felt like an eternity. They watched as the sun rose that morning and then set that night. And help was still not on the way, not for a while. They would watch as several more days passed. Throughout that time, Ricky continued speaking with the police on the phone and even made some demands. He asked them for pizza, cigarettes and a handcuff key. He asked for a helicopter and the chance to speak with the media for an interview. And while some demands were met, like the food and cigarettes, others like the helicopter were obviously not. But while negotiations were ongoing, officers established a command center

• 33:28Courtney Brown?

  where a team of experienced snipers could watch Ricky and Steven at all times. While they hoped that they could get a clean shot and end the standoff, they knew that Ricky and Steven had nothing to lose. And that if they fired and missed, they might kill the hostages. It was an impossibly tense situation. And with each hour that passed, the more it felt like they were running out of time.

• 33:51Colin Brown?

  While Ricky and Steven remained holed up in the watchtower, the rest of the prison descended into chaos. As it turns out, that particular tower was where the medication for the entire prison was stored. Nurses would frequent the tower to obtain the medication before giving it to the inmates. But since the tower was taken hostage, none of the inmates could receive their medication. According to an investigative report released by AmeriCopa County Attorney, on the first day of the standoff, diabetic inmates began going into hyperglycemia, a medical emergency where your blood sugar gets dangerously high. And they didn't have access to insulin to bring it back down. Soon enough, inmates across the prison became irritated and angry, yelling and banging on anything they could to get the attention of prison officials.

• 34:37Colin Brown?

  And they weren't the only ones suffering from Ricky's actions. If you recall, 21-year-old Jason Oatch, who had been in the watchtower that night, had broken his orbital bone during the takeover. He and Lois were still handcuffed on the tower's floor and it was clear to both Ricky and Steven that he needed serious medical attention. As the days in the standoff passed, Jason faded in and out of consciousness.

• 35:01Courtney Brown?

  Lois, on the other hand, remained fully conscious the entire time, for better or for worse. Sadly, shortly into her captivity, the men ordered her to remove her clothing. And Lois knew exactly what that meant. She did her best to try and talk them out of it, to convince them to do the right thing. But they wouldn't listen. Both Ricky and Steven repeatedly raped and assaulted her. Oftentimes, she was forced to sit there, half naked. She said she was on a leash like a dog. The little sleep she got was on the cold, concrete floor. She found herself completely at the mercy of her captors. And she also knew that Ricky and Steven had nothing to lose. After watching the days pass with no resolution, Lois was convinced

• 35:46Courtney Brown?

  that she wasn't going to make it out of that tower alive. But she tried her best to cling to any inkling of hope. Lois was a single mom to a 12-year-old girl. And even during her darkest hours, the thought of seeing her loved ones again is what kept her going.

• 36:01Colin Brown?

  Outside the tower, police were still doing what they could to negotiate with Ricky and Steven. But despite their best efforts, an end to the standoff was still nowhere in sight. Even though they were confined and surrounded, Ricky and Steven enjoyed being in control for once and they weren't ready to give that up. They knew that their escape plan had failed. But compared to being sent back to prison, the tower seemed to be their best option. And they were going to do everything they could to prolong their stay. Now Ricky has since stated, "What nobody knows is that for me, the tower incident was a suicide mission. I fully expected to die. And there's nothing more dangerous than a violent man with an AR-15 that has nothing to lose."

• 36:45Courtney Brown?

  Soon enough, Ricky and Steven had been in the tower for four long days. The entire time, Jason clung to consciousness. Lois did her best to follow orders so she could stay alive. And Ricky was still making demands. On the phone with authorities, he demanded blankets, food, drinks, towels, toothpaste, and really anything he could think of. Authorities listened, but they weren't just going to give in to Ricky's demands that easily. In return for those items, they asked for Ricky to send some of the weapons out. However, when Ricky heard this, he became furious. He even refused to speak with the authorities for the remainder of the day. It was also at this point that Ricky found a hidden listening device

• 37:29Courtney Brown?

  in one of the radios in the tower. Paranoid that the authorities were planning on swarming the tower at any moment, Ricky turned to Jason and asked,

• 37:38Colin Brown?

  "Are you ready to die?"

• 37:39Courtney Brown?

  For a moment, Jason was silent. And then he quietly answered,

• 37:43Colin Brown?

  "Shoot me in the head. Make it quick."

• 37:46Courtney Brown?

  Ricky then turned to Lois, asking her the same question. And she told them, "I've been ready to die since the day you came in here."

• 37:54Colin Brown?

  Ricky was threatening to kill everyone in that tower, including himself. At one point, in a disturbing twist, he even gave Jason the radio, prompting him to cry and plead for his life for all to hear. Everyone was sure that this might be the end, that Ricky would gun down everyone in the tower. But surprisingly, he didn't. Several more days would pass. By day six, tensions were running high and food was running low. And the hunger was gnawing at them. Negotiations were ongoing, but progress was slow. Officers were not going to give in and send Ricky food without anything in return. They wanted them to release the hostages. Desperate for something to eat and unhappy with the officers, Ricky and Steven decided on a new tactic.

• 38:39Courtney Brown?

  Steven grabbed a sharpened piece of plastic and forcefully held it against Lois's hand. And to the radio, Ricky screamed,

• 38:46Colin Brown?

  "Cut her fucking finger off. Right fucking now. Lock and load the guns too. You want to hear some fucking screaming?"

• 38:52Courtney Brown?

  Almost immediately, those screams were heard. Lois began pleading with her captors. Her fear was palpable. Then over the radio, Ricky gave another demand.

• 39:02Colin Brown?

  "If you don't send up more supplies, I'm cutting both of their fingers off."

• 39:06Courtney Brown?

  There was an eerie determination in Ricky's voice, one that said he wasn't bluffing. So ultimately, the authorities agreed to send up food and supplies. But they were steadfast in their own demands. "You need to release a hostage." That night, after enjoying their meal, Ricky and Steven looked at Jason and Lois, still tied up on the ground. They knew they needed to release one of them by morning. The only question was, which one? The men spent some time talking to 21-year-old Jason. He was young, he had his whole life ahead of him. And out of all of the careers he could have chosen, Jason chose to work in the prison system. Ricky and Steven didn't like that. Ricky would later say, "We kind of discussed his future with him and he pretty much guaranteed us that he was going to seek a new occupation.

• 39:50Courtney Brown?

  And that was one of the reasons why we let him go." End quote. So that night, Ricky approached the hostages and told them about his decision, that Jason would be released. Upon hearing this, Lois's heart dropped. As much as she wanted Jason to get the medical attention he needed, she desperately wanted that freedom for herself. Over the past week, she had been violated over and over again. She was hungry and sick. It was never a guarantee that she would receive food from her captors. And ultimately, any food they did give her wouldn't stay down. After nearly a week of being bound, her wrists were swollen and raw from the handcuffs. Lois tried negotiating with them on why she deserved to be let free. She had a daughter that needed her mom.

• 40:34Courtney Brown?

  But Ricky and Steven didn't care. In fact, Steven Coy told Lois straight up that she was a better bargaining tool. She would have to stay. So the following morning, Lois watched as Jason Oatch walked out that door towards the safety of police. From there, there was nothing more she could do than try to survive under Ricky and Steven's watchful eyes.

• 41:17Courtney Brown?

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• 42:00Courtney Brown?

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• 42:41Courtney Brown?

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• 43:47Colin Brown?

  Anyways, y'all, let's get back to the show.

• 43:54Colin Brown?

  As the standoff continued, each day that it drew on brought on increasing media attention. Officers and tactical units were growing antsy, desperately trying to find any way to take out Ricky and Steven without risking Lois's life. People across the country were worried about Lois, and they wanted her out of that tower. They knew that the longer she was in there, and the worse Ricky's temper got, the less likely they would be able to get her out alive.

• 44:20Courtney Brown?

  In an attempt to appeal to Ricky, several of his siblings were flown to Arizona to help authorities negotiate. And only then did it seem like Ricky had a change of heart. As we mentioned earlier in the beginning, he fully thought this was a suicide mission. But now he started thinking of what it would be like if he made it out alive. He knew without a shadow of doubt that if he surrendered and was sent back to the prison he tried to escape from, he would be harassed and beaten by guards who would want revenge for the standoff. So if he were to surrender, he wanted confirmation that he and Steven would be moved to a different prison in a different state. If the authorities could guarantee that, then he would let Lois go. Finally, authorities felt like they were making progress.

• 45:05Courtney Brown?

  But while they worked out the terms of their surrender, Ricky and Steven were growing restless. According to one of his sisters, Ricky became so frustrated with the authorities that, quote, "He threatened to start sending out body parts."

• 45:18Colin Brown?

  By day 12, the Arizona prison standoff became the longest in US history. Negotiations continued, but the progress was slow. Lois's health and mental sanity was rapidly declining. By day 15, Ricky had received almost all of his demands, including a handcuff key, but officers were frustrated that Ricky was still unwilling to end the standoff. So they tried a new tactic. Without warning, authorities cut all power to the watchtower. This meant that there were no lights, no temperature control, no electricity of any kind. This even meant that the doors between each floor were disabled, as they were fully electric. Ricky, Steven, and Lois found themselves trapped on the second floor of

• 46:01Colin Brown?

  the watchtower, which was a problem because the restroom they had been using was on a different floor. Authorities hoped that the tower would become so miserable that Ricky and Steven would have no choice but to end the standoff. And they were right. Just a few hours later, Ricky called to negotiate his terms of surrender. Authorities agreed that he and Steven would be moved out of the state, and that Ricky would even be allowed to have his own cell from then on if he would just come out of the tower. And with that, both Ricky and Steven agreed to surrender. But first, they had one more demand: a last meal. Ricky requested steaks, beer, baked potatoes, and sodas. And after some back and forth, authorities agreed and sent up the food.

• 46:45Courtney Brown?

  Now, before coming out of the tower, authorities ordered the men to leave their guns on the roof and exit the building, but they refused. Maybe there was a part of them that thought they'd be shot down immediately after walking out. And if that happened, maybe they didn't want to go down without a fight. So around 6:30 PM on February 1, 2004, Ricky, Steven, and Lois approached the tower's door. Ricky was still holding the AR-15, and Steven was holding a shotgun. Seconds later, the door opened. Immediately, authorities began screaming out demands, telling them to drop their weapons and get down on the ground. Both Ricky and Steven complied. In the midst of everything, Lois felt someone grab her

• 47:27Courtney Brown?

  and pull her to safety. For 15 days, Lois frayly questioned whether or not she would live to see her way out of this, whether she would ever speak to her family again. And only then did she realize that she had made it. From there, she was taken to a local hospital for treatment. And although she made a full recovery, her life would never be the same again. For years, she battled depression, PTSD, and suicidal thoughts. But with the help of her family, she fought through. She eventually found a new sense of normal. And today, Lois is a vocal advocate for hostage survivors, and even established the Lois Fraley Foundation to help other survivors. Now, the other hostage, Jason Oatch, had to undergo surgery for his eye injury,

• 48:11Courtney Brown?

  but he also made a full recovery. And just like he promised Ricky and Steven, he never went back to work for the prison system.

• 48:19Colin Brown?

  Ricky and Steven were immediately taken back into custody to face the consequences of their actions. If you recall, Steven Coy was already facing life behind bars well before the standoff happened. After he surrendered, the question was not how many years would be added on to his sentence, but where he would be held. Originally, authorities agreed that Steven would be sent to Maine, while Ricky would be sent to Wisconsin. But as the weeks passed after the standoff with no word on their transfer, Steven and his family began to believe that authorities had been lying, promising Steven anything he asked for just to end the standoff. But this wasn't the case. Steven soon found out that officials in Arizona were not going to transfer him until he either pled guilty or went on trial for the escape attempt,

• 49:04Colin Brown?

  the sexual violence, and all the violence. Steven had nothing to lose, no hope that he would ever be a free man. So he pled guilty to all 14 charges from the standoff in March 2004. Steven was also ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution, and was sentenced to seven additional life terms for his involvement in the standoff. From there, Steven was transferred to a prison in Maine, just like he had hoped. But after just a few years, due to changes in the inmate exchange program, Steven was ultimately moved back to Arizona, where he's currently living out the rest of his days at the Arizona Department of Corrections.

• 49:43Courtney Brown?

  So that just left Ricky. After the standoff, he was also eager to lead the state of Arizona. But unlike Steven, he was not willing to enter a guilty plea in order to initiate the transfer. So instead, he chose to go to trial, which ended up being a lengthy process. Immediately following the standoff, Ricky actually attempted to smuggle in the handcuff key he had received during negotiations. He shoved it underneath his foot, hoping no one would notice. But it wasn't long before officers found and confiscated the key. When they asked him about it, Ricky was adamant that he wasn't planning on using it to escape, but only to defend himself if officers decided to beat him after he returned to state custody.

• 50:24Colin Brown?

  About a year after the standoff in April 2005, it was finally time for Ricky to go to trial. He faced 20 different charges, including attempted murder, sexual assault, dangerous assault, and kidnapping. And once again, Ricky thought it best to represent himself. Shackled to the counsel table, he did his best to defend himself. Specifically, he was insistent that he had never sexually assaulted Lois, despite her testimony that said otherwise. Further, he claimed that his entire motivation for the escape attempt was to get media attention so he can move closer to his family. For eight long weeks, the jurors heard from the officers on duty that day, the hostages, and even Ricky himself. But as time wore on, Ricky had a sinking feeling that he wasn't

• 51:09Colin Brown?

  going to be able to win this one. He became increasingly quick to anger during his trial, even to the point of ripping his shirt. As the trial came to a close, Ricky asked the judge to send him to Iraq to fight terrorism instead of to prison. To this, Judge Granville replied, "You said America always sends its best to war. I agree with that statement. That's why we don't send someone like you."

• 51:33Courtney Brown?

  After deliberations, Ricky Wassenaar was found guilty of 19 of the 20 counts, and he was sentenced to 16 consecutive life sentences. He was also officially labeled as a sex offender. But now that the trial was over, Ricky's transfer to another prison could finally be initiated. Over the next few years, Ricky spent time in several other states, including New Mexico and Ohio. And just like the authorities had promised, he never had a cellmate. And knowing he would have to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Ricky settled into the prison routine once again. Like always, he took comfort in his faith, and he prayed almost every day. Ricky would later make comments about his 2004 prison standoff, and how surprised he was that he survived it, saying, quote,

• 52:18Courtney Brown?

  "The fact that I did not die during all that is a miracle. God saved me, no question about that," end quote. And for a few years after, everything went okay. But this story is far from over. In fact, in 2018, everything would change.

• 52:34Colin Brown?

  It was around this time that Ricky learned he was going to be transferred back to Arizona to serve the remainder of his sentence. This directly contradicted his agreement with authorities to stay out of Arizona after the prison standoff, but the Arizona Department of Corrections was insistent that the transfer was legal and warranted. So despite the pleas of Ricky and his family, he was sent back to Arizona. And not only was he transferred, but his security level had recently been changed from maximum to close custody. Now, at the time, this wasn't uncommon. They were actually doing this for a lot of inmates at the time. Ryan Thornell, the director of the ADCRR, said it's because the social isolation maximum

• 53:15Colin Brown?

  security inmates experience negatively impacts the community upon their release. But Ricky Wassenaar was supposed to be in prison for life, so this reasoning didn't really apply to him. Many believe that the real reason Ricky was moved to close custody is because, well, it's cheaper. Close custody costs much less and requires fewer officers to oversee inmates.

• 53:37Courtney Brown?

  There were a lot of people who disagreed with the decision to move Ricky Wassenaar to a less secure prison. I mean, we're talking about the man responsible for the longest prison standoff in US history. But others didn't seem to mind. By 2018, Ricky was 55 years old. Surely, he'd be less of a threat than the man who held up the prison 14 years prior. Regardless, Ricky was back in the Arizona prison system. Now, the specific unit that they placed him in was the sex offender unit within the prison. After all, Ricky was a convicted sex offender for what he did to Lois Fraley during the 2004 prison standoff. But if anyone ever asked him about that, he always denied it.

• 54:19Courtney Brown?

  Ricky felt that he didn't belong in the sex offender unit because he claimed he wasn't a sex offender. In fact, Ricky made it known that he hated sex offenders, especially child molesters. But the decision wasn't up to him. So Ricky moved into his new cell, and for the first time in a while, he was no longer in solitary confinement, allowing him to interact with the other inmates in his unit. For years, Ricky got to know these men. He got to learn about the crimes they committed. And over time, his hatred for child molesters grew stronger and stronger. In fact, Ricky began to make a mental list of all the confessed pedophiles in his unit.

• 54:59Courtney Brown?

  And by 2024, Ricky decided to do something about it, morphing his fantasy into something he called "The Plan." And what was that plan, you ask? Well, knowing he was going to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Ricky envisioned a bloody massacre, one where he would kill as many child molesters as he could.

• 55:19Colin Brown?

  For the most part, despite his hatred towards the men in his unit, Ricky adjusted pretty well. That is, until he was told that after 20 years of having his cell all to himself, Ricky Wassenaar was about to get a cellmate. When the prison officials broke the news, Ricky was angry. He later said, "You have to understand, I've been without a cellie for 20 years. I can't handle all of a sudden having someone in my space, breathing my air, talking when they want to, peeing in my toilet water. I'm not a social person, I'm an introvert. Having a cellie will trigger mental health issues for me. I told them, 'Don't do it. There will be consequences if you put someone in this cell with me.'"

• 55:59Courtney Brown?

  But despite Ricky's warnings of what he would do if given a cellmate, the prison officials didn't listen. Perhaps they didn't believe he would actually do anything. And in the end, it wasn't up to Ricky, which brings us to November 5th, 2024, the day that his world was turned completely upside down.

• 56:16Colin Brown?

  If that date sounds familiar, it's because it was actually a presidential election day, the day that countless people across the nation sat with their eyes glued to the television. That very day, news coverage focused solely on the unfolding results of the presidential election between Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump. People across the country felt the tension and anxiety as they eagerly waited for the results. That very morning, Ricky got on his knees to pray as usual. But unlike the days before, today's prayers were a little different. In addition to it being election day, it was also the day that Ricky's new cellmate was arriving. Ricky later explained that he made his intentions very clear, that if prison authorities didn't

• 57:01Colin Brown?

  reassign his cellmate, they would have to live with the weight of the repercussions. He told anyone that would listen that if he was not isolated, he would spill blood. So as Ricky kneeled on the floor, he first prayed that the prison authorities would reconsider assigning him a cellmate. The second thing that Ricky prayed for that morning was that God would lead Trump to victory in the election.

• 57:24Courtney Brown?

  When Ricky finished his prayer, he got up and continued on with his day. For the next few hours, he watched for news about the election. Sometime that afternoon, as Ricky was enjoying a quiet moment of reflection, for the first time, he said the voice in his head answered back, and it gave him a simple two-word command:

• 57:43Colin Brown?

  "Sacrifice him."

• 57:45Courtney Brown?

  Immediately, Ricky said he knew what he was being asked to do. The voice in his head had just commanded him to kill his new cellmate. And maybe through his sacrifice, Donald Trump would win the election. So for the next hour, Ricky laid in wait, silently standing by until his new cellmate arrived.

• 58:04Colin Brown?

  Joseph, or Joe DeSisto, was born on February 19th, 1943. At some point in his life, Joe met a woman named Debbie and fell in love. Soon, the two were married and had five children together. Over time, Joe also welcomed grandchildren into his life, and one in particular caught his eye. Sadly, from 2017 up until 2020, Joe sexually abused one of his step-granddaughters. We don't know her exact age, but she was young, less than 15 years old. At some point, after years of continual abuse, the girl decided she had had enough. Bravely, she spoke up about the abuse to some family members, but while she had hoped that this would be the end of her nightmare, the abuse didn't stop.

• 58:49Colin Brown?

  Despite her plea for help, Joe's family did not report him to the police. So desperate for help, the brave young girl sent an email to all of her teachers asking for help using her school-issued computer. Immediately, the message was reported to the principal and the police were called. It wasn't long before they discovered that the girl's cries for help were sadly true. Finally, she got the help she so desperately needed and was moved out of the home, and Joe was arrested and charged on 13 counts, including molestation, sexual conduct with a minor, and continuous sexual abuse of a child. In 2022, at 79 years old, Joe was sentenced to life in prison in Pima County.

• 59:32Courtney Brown?

  By the time Joe was reassigned to Ricky's cell, he was 81 years old. And when he walked towards that cell for the first time on November 5th, it was clear that this was not going to be an easy transition. Ricky Wassenaar immediately became belligerent towards Joe and the officers. He tried to physically block the door with his body in an attempt to keep Joe out. Ricky was so upset that the officers had to threaten him with punishment if he didn't let Joe inside. So begrudgingly, Ricky stepped aside and watched as Joe unloaded his belongings. Now Ricky didn't know that Joe was a child molester, at least not at first, but he didn't care. The fact that he was in this unit at all meant that he was a sex offender, and from

• 1:00:16Courtney Brown?

  the moment Joe crossed the threshold into Ricky's cell, Ricky knew that he was going to die, no matter who he was or what he did. At some point that afternoon, Joe reportedly told Ricky, quote, "Man, I'm old. I've had enough of this. I've lived long enough. I'm ready to go." End quote. And in Ricky's twisted, misguided mind, this statement was proof that by killing Joe, he was doing the right thing. Ricky recalled this:

• 1:00:43Colin Brown?

  "He was practically asking me to take his life. He was some kind of sacrificial lamb."

• 1:00:49Courtney Brown?

  So as the sun set and the night wore on, Ricky waited patiently for the perfect moment to strike. He wasn't scared, he wasn't nervous, he was completely calm and ready to enact his plan. The cell that Ricky and Joe shared had no bars. Instead, a large metal door covered in small dime-sized holes gave some of the only views into the cell. That night, the prison was cold. Multiple inmates had complained about the temperature all week. It was so cold that many sat shivering throughout the night, even with the extra blankets provided by officers, and Joe was no different. Standing by the bed, Joe was so cold, he was shivering. Ricky knew this was his time to act.

• 1:01:30Courtney Brown?

  Now, in one version of the story, Ricky offered Joe a blanket, but in another version, it was some lotion. Either way, Joe accepted, and Ricky approached him from behind. With Joe's back to Ricky and his neck exposed, Ricky looped his arm around Joe's neck, pulling him into a chokehold. Joe had no time to react, no time to cry out for help. Before he knew it, Ricky squeezed harder, so hard that he actually momentarily lifted Joe off the ground. But still, Joe clung to life. Ricky pushed him onto the lower bunk, his arms still wrapped around Joe's neck. As Joe began to fade in and out of consciousness, he lost control of his bladder. Urine began running down his leg and pooling on the floor.

• 1:02:13Courtney Brown?

  And then, after just a few moments, Joe stopped struggling. Eventually, Ricky released the chokehold and dragged Joe's body over to the door to check his pulse. And to his surprise, Joe was still alive. Ricky would later say this:

• 1:02:29Colin Brown?

  "I could hardly believe it when I felt the tiny pulse, so I strangled him with my bare hands. Even though it was cold, I was sweating from the exertion. A drop of sweat off my face dropped onto his right cheek, and a little puff came out of his mouth, like maybe his soul was passing from his body. And then he was dead. I pinched his nostrils closed, and because it was so cold, they froze shut."

• 1:02:54Courtney Brown?

  At 81 years old, Joe DeSisto lay dead on the floor of his cell, and Ricky felt satisfied. He fully believed that by doing what he was told, his prayers would be answered. And ultimately, in his mind, they were answered. Later that night, he learned that Donald Trump had won the election. Ricky was sure that this was meant to be.

• 1:03:17Colin Brown?

  Now, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections, in the late night hours of November 5th, Ricky actually requested emergency medical attention for Joe, which is how they found his body. When the medical examiner arrived, Joe was pronounced dead at the scene. However, in a conflicting story, according to Joe's family, Joe's body was spotted during a routine patrol, and Ricky was standing over him. They alleged that Ricky actually confessed to the entire murder right then and there to the officers. Either way, after Joe's body was discovered, Ricky was immediately handcuffed and led to a separate holding cell, where he would be under investigation for the next 30 days. A few hours later, the silence was interrupted when interrogators entered Ricky's cell and

• 1:04:01Colin Brown?

  began questioning him. To their surprise, it wasn't long before Ricky told them everything. He told them about the voice in his head, Joe's arrival at his cell, and every detail of his murder. Ricky knew that he would be punished, but he was already spending life behind bars, so there was nothing to lose. It was clear that Ricky was proud of what he had done. In his mind, Joe's sacrifice had ensured that Donald Trump won the election.

• 1:04:27Courtney Brown?

  Just three days later, on November 8th, 2024, Ricky was transferred to a different unit within the prison. After his confession, he was sure that he was sent there to face charges for Joe's murder. But when they escorted Ricky back to his old cell, he was confused by what was going on. It was like nothing had changed, like he had gotten away with murder. Over the next few days, there was still no word about Joe's murder. Curious, Ricky asked around, trying to gauge from other inmates about what happened to Joe. He quickly learned that despite all of the evidence and his own confession, the prison determined that Joe died from natural causes.

• 1:05:07Colin Brown?

  In a statement following Joe's death, the Arizona Department of Corrections said, "The Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner reported to AD-CRR 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.

• 1:05:32Courtney Brown?

  But despite this statement, according to Joe's autopsy, medical examiners were unable to determine his exact cause of death. It was ultimately ruled as inconclusive, but assumed to be of natural causes. Hearing this, Ricky was astounded. He had just confessed to everything, and on top of that, he knew his DNA was all over Joe's body. He couldn't believe that he had literally just gotten away with murder. Ricky thought it was too good to be true, and it seemed to him like the prison was attempting some sort of cover-up. But before he could even begin to figure out what was going on, he soon had another problem on his hands. The prison had just assigned Ricky another cellmate.

• 1:06:13Colin Brown?

  Martin Marty Husak had a history with the Arizona Department of Corrections. Most recently, in 2024, he had been sentenced to life in prison for repeatedly molesting and sexually assaulting his two young stepdaughters for a number of years. On January 7th, 2025, Marty was admitted to the Lewis complex within the Arizona Department of Corrections. Officers escorted Marty to Ricky's cell, but as soon as he saw his new cellmate, Marty felt that something was very, very wrong. He got such a bad feeling from Ricky that as soon as he was able to, Marty used the prison phones to contact a family member, pleading with them to contact the warden immediately. He told them- This guy's going to kill me. Tell them, they need to get me out of here, now.

• 1:07:00Courtney Brown?

  Now, because Marty made his request on record, if something had happened to him after he voiced his concern to prison officials, it would look really bad for the prison. So at the request of himself and his family, Marty was quickly reassigned to a different cell, to Ricky. It seemed as if his prayers had been answered once again. He wasn't discouraged that Marty was reassigned. Instead, he believed that for some reason, God had chosen to save Marty. So once again, in his own cell, Ricky settled back into his routine. As the months passed, he believed that surely, prison officials had taken his warning seriously and would not assign him another cellmate. But he was wrong. Whether because of disbelief, overcrowding, or something else, just three months later,

• 1:07:45Courtney Brown?

  Ricky was told for the third time that he was going to get a new cellmate. Ricky's frustration only grew, and as the days passed, he spent more and more time praying, looking for the answer to his reoccurring cellmate problem. And that problem walked inside on April 3rd, 2025.

• 1:08:03Colin Brown?

  Saul Alvarez was a Mexican national who at some point moved to the United States. In 1998, at 24 years old, Saul was sentenced to 27 and a half years in prison for the kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman from Mesa, Arizona. According to the Arizona Department of Corrections, sometime around 2004, Saul was charged and sentenced to life behind bars for first-degree murder, though the details are unclear. Saul had been in prison for 27 years, and by the time he arrived at Ricky's cell, he was 51 years old. As Saul settled into his new cell, he was upfront with Ricky about his nationality. Initially, this didn't bother Ricky.

• 1:08:44Colin Brown?

  He knew he wanted Saul to die, but it wasn't a crime motivated by the color of his skin. It wasn't long, however, until Saul made a comment that did bother Ricky. Inevitably, the two started discussing politics, and Saul made a comment sharing his disapproval for Donald Trump. Ultimately, Saul's dislike of Trump and their conflicting political ideologies made it that much easier to kill him.

• 1:09:09Courtney Brown?

  The same afternoon that Saul arrived at the cell, Ricky waited like a ticking time bomb for the right moment to act. He planned ahead, and that afternoon, he dug up a knife he had buried in the yard a few weeks earlier. He also kept his pet rock, Rocky, close at hand in his cell. Now Ricky had no doubt about what he was going to do, and it seemed like some of the other inmates also knew what was coming. At dinnertime, Ricky was approached by the leader of one of the Mexican prison gangs. According to Ricky, the gang boss told him, quote, "We're working on getting that guy transferred out of your cell. He wants to be with his own people, just like you. Don't do anything, okay? Give us a day or two and we'll get him out of your hair." And Ricky agreed.

• 1:09:51Courtney Brown?

  He wanted Saul out of his cell as soon as possible, so he agreed to give them a short amount of time to get Saul out. His good faith, however, would quickly vanish as the evening wound down. Someone turned on the TV. Local news coverage discussed recent developments on President Trump and his relationship with Elon Musk. According to Ricky, as he and Saul were watching the TV, Saul scoffed, calling Trump and Musk "corrupt scam artists." Politics were a touchy subject for Ricky, something he felt very passionately about. There was no way that he would sit and listen to Saul's opinions without responding. Ricky said he tried to convince Saul that Trump was doing what he could to make life better for all Americans.

• 1:10:34Courtney Brown?

  But no matter how much they talked, ideologically, the two were just too far apart. Ricky later stated, quote, "I knew right then that he had to go. I prayed about it later and got the green light."

• 1:10:46Colin Brown?

  Ultimately, as long as Saul was in that cell with Ricky, it was only a matter of time before he would take his last breath. And the same day that he arrived at Ricky's cell, Saul's life would come to an end. As nightfall came, Saul settled into his bed on the top bunk. Once Ricky was convinced that Saul had drifted off to sleep, he crept out of bed and grabbed the eight-pound rock from his belongings, quietly slipping it into a mesh laundry bag. Ricky then stood at the head of the bed, just inches from Saul's face. And then, using all of his strength, Ricky swung the loaded bag straight at Saul's head. It hit Saul hard, right on the mark. His skull shattered instantly, sending blood flying across the bed.

• 1:11:28Colin Brown?

  Instinctively, Saul raised his hands to block the next blow, but he wasn't quick enough. Ricky swung the loaded bag twice more, each time furthering the damage. Saul's skull was shattered, his face beaten and bloody. Blood from the wound was pouring onto the mattress. Saul attempted to say something, to breathe, but all that came out of his mouth was gargled blood. Ricky told him, "Shut the fuck up," before clubbing Saul on the head four to five more times, and then stabbing him in the eye with his knife.

• 1:11:59Courtney Brown?

  By the time Ricky was done beating him, Saul was no longer recognizable. But despite the severity of his injuries, he was still alive. Pausing for just a moment, Ricky could still hear him gargling blood. Frustrated, Ricky changed his tactic. That night, he had eaten a plastic-wrapped kosher meal for dinner. For some reason, the plastic wrap was not yet removed from the cell. So Saul laid there, gasping for air, blood pooling around his mouth. Ricky grabbed the discarded plastic wrap. He stretched and twisted it into a cord about three to four feet long. Once the cord was stretched, Ricky wrapped it tightly around Saul's throat before tying it into a knot. The knot was so tight, blood was cut off from Saul's brain. He was completely unable to breathe.

• 1:12:44Courtney Brown?

  Ricky watched as Saul heaved for air. And eventually, around 11:15 PM, Saul stopped breathing altogether.

• 1:12:52Colin Brown?

  Ricky took a moment to savor the silence after his kill, but with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he knew he wasn't done. He had to carry out the plan, which was to kill as many pedophiles as he could get his hands on. But if he was going to do that, he had to hide Saul's murder as long as possible. So Ricky turned his beaten and bloody body towards the wall before covering Saul's head with a blanket. This way, an unsuspecting guard on patrol would just assume he was sleeping. After setting the scene, Ricky waited. He prayed, went through his mental list of pedophiles, and made sure that every detail of the plan was accounted for. Countless thoughts ran through his mind as he eagerly waited for the sun to rise and the terror to begin.

• 1:13:36Courtney Brown?

  Finally, it was 6:00 AM on April 4th, 2025. While it was still dark, Ricky got up, grabbed his knife, and loaded the laundry bag, still covered in blood from Saul's murder. Carefully, he concealed both under his clothing. At exactly 6:40 AM, his cell door unlocked, and he made his way to the dining hall. Ricky had been going over the details of his killing spree all night. So without a second thought, he made his way to the dining hall with determination. It was there where he immediately spotted one of the inmates on his list, Thorn Harnage.

• 1:14:10Colin Brown?

  Thorn, 42 years old, was first admitted to the Arizona Department of Corrections in 2024 after a long, seven-year trial. Thorn's niece was just seven years old when he started sexually abusing her. After two years, she spoke up and finally got the help she needed. And although his trial took longer than expected, she finally got the justice she deserved when he was sent to prison for life. Thorn found himself in the same unit as Ricky Wassenaar. But like all the other inmates inside, he had no idea the chaos that was about to unfold. To him, this was just another morning in the dining hall. Now, standing next to Thorn that morning was another inmate on Ricky's list, 75-year-old Donald Lashley.

• 1:14:54Colin Brown?

  According to court documents, Donald sexually assaulted at least three young girls for years. The abuse started when they were as young as three years old and went on well until the girls were in high school. The abuse was so severe that Donald was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus an additional 93 years in 2023. Both Donald and Thorn had expected to spend the rest of their lives behind bars. What they didn't expect, however, was that their sentences were about to be cut short.

• 1:15:23Courtney Brown?

  As soon as Ricky entered the dining hall and spotted Donald and Thorn, there was no time for them to react. Grabbing the end of the loaded laundry bag, Ricky swung the rock straight at Thorn's head. Before Thorn even knew what happened, he felt a deep, sharp pain. Ricky's blow had instantly fractured his skull, causing him to collapse to the floor. Satisfied, Ricky turned to Donald, swinging the rock at him twice, each time hitting his mark. He then grabbed his knife and slit Donald's throat. Within a matter of seconds, the floor became slick with blood as Thorn and Donald fought to stay alive. It had been mere seconds since the attack started, and by now, the other inmates in the hall had processed what was going on. Chaos erupted.

• 1:16:06Courtney Brown?

  Everyone near Ricky started running in the opposite direction as he continued to beat, stab, kick, and punch Thorn and Donald. After making sure that they would not be getting up, Ricky then turned around, scanning the area for his next victim. But by that point, all of the other inmates had fled the dining hall. There was no one left to kill. To this day, Ricky has stated that his only regret was not waiting until the dining hall doors were locked. If he had waited, he could have killed many more. He later said, quote, "If I would have waited until 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. I had several targets, all child molesters."

• 1:16:50Colin Brown?

  But unbeknownst to Ricky, not all of the inmates had fled the dining hall. In fact, there was one inmate who snuck up behind him and punched him in the head. Ricky, still holding the loaded laundry bag and the knife, tried to stab this unknown attacker. But before he could, alarm bells sounded across the prison. Prison guards poured into the dining hall, too many for Ricky to take on, and they immediately tackled him to the ground. One guard kneeled on Ricky's back to make sure he stayed down, and whether intentionally or not, in an attempt to tie zip cuffs around Ricky's wrists, the guard actually pulled Ricky's pants down. Ricky, unable to move, shouted at the guards to stop, but it was no use. Soon enough, Ricky was naked from the waist down and completely exposed to all the other guards and inmates.

• 1:17:35Colin Brown?

  For the entire massacre, Ricky had been calm and calculated. But it's this moment, being forced to the ground, exposed to everybody, that Ricky remembers with the most pure and hateful rage.

• 1:17:48Courtney Brown?

  Not long after guards had Ricky under control, the entire prison was placed on lockdown so prison officials could determine the extent of the damage. And there, on the floor of the dining hall, was 42-year-old Thorn Harnage and 75-year-old Donald Lashley. Ultimately, both men would succumb to their injuries. And it wouldn't take them long to find Ricky's third victim of that day, his cellmate, 51-year-old Saul Alvarez, who was still lying in bed, covered in blankets. Three men murdered in one day. Within the prison, Ricky Wassenaar was forced into a face mask and strapped to a chair inside a small, dark, solitary cell. He sat there for eight hours until investigators came in for questioning.

• 1:18:31Courtney Brown?

  They didn't have to press him long before Ricky confessed to everything. He told them every single detail of each murder, proud of what he had been able to accomplish. But then towards the end, he shifted blame. Sure, he was the one who murdered these men, but according to Ricky, he warned the prison officials that this would happen, telling them this.

• 1:18:53Colin Brown?

  I told you not to give me a cellmate. I told you I wasn't psychologically ready for that. If you would listen to me, none of this would have happened. I am what you made me.

• 1:19:02Courtney Brown?

  News of the massacre spread like wildfire across the nation. When the family of Joe DeSisto, the first inmate Ricky killed, heard the news, they immediately filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry. If you recall, they ruled that Joe had died from natural causes, even though Ricky swears that he admitted to killing him. When Joe's family learned about the truth of his death, they were devastated. They believed that Joe's death could have been prevented if prison officials had recognized Ricky's violent past and heeded his warnings. Today, their case is still ongoing.

• 1:19:40Colin Brown?

  And Joe's family wasn't the only one criticizing the ADCRR. Individuals everywhere wondered how the man who was responsible for the longest prison standoff in US history would have ever had the opportunity to murder three people within the span of 24 hours. The ACDR was bombarded with reporters and critics, all asking the same question. It was quickly apparent that the ACDR had been warned multiple times that Ricky was dangerous. On some occasions, Ricky even told them himself, but other warnings came from outsiders, reform advocates who desperately informed the prison with letter after letter that Ricky meant harm. The massacre also got the attention of lawmakers. Two in particular took a thorough look at ADCRR's policies and Ricky's criminal history.

• 1:20:25Colin Brown?

  In 2025, they advocated for reform on the prison's policies and have since sponsored a bill that creates an independent agency to oversee and report on the Department of Corrections. While that bill was passed, today it remains unfunded and inactive. In response to the intense scrutiny, the ADCRR has focused on five goals to improve safety: increased use of body cameras, upgrading technology within the prison, investing money into the training of corrections officers, improving workforce development programs for inmates, and giving inmates better access to healthcare and treatment. The ADCRR, still directed by Ryan Thornell, is confident that over time, these measures will reduce prison violence.

• 1:21:09Colin Brown?

  Many, however, aren't convinced that these initiatives will address the root problem.

• 1:21:14Courtney Brown?

  And although the murders of Saul Alvarez, Thorn Harnage, and Donald Lashley were noted on Ricky's disciplinary record, the cases were not referred to the Pima County Attorney's Office until late June, more than a month after the murders had happened. And even then, it would take more than six months after the murders for Ricky to be charged. As the months dragged on, even Ricky asked prison officials what was taking so long. It wasn't until December of 2025 that Ricky was finally charged with three counts of first-degree murder and aggravated assault. In his court arraignment on December 18th, 2025, Ricky pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, despite his full confession months earlier.

• 1:21:56Courtney Brown?

  Now keep in mind, Ricky is already serving 16 consecutive life sentences for the 2004 prison standoff incident, so why not just plead guilty? Many suspect that his not guilty plea is just another way to rebel against the justice system, something Ricky clearly likes to do.

• 1:22:16Colin Brown?

  Before these murders, Ricky is facing his most serious consequences yet. On May 8th, 2026, the Penal County Attorney's Office filed their request for Ricky to face the death penalty. In an interview, Ricky was asked about his thoughts on his potential execution. And according to him, he welcomes it, saying, "But I don't want to be put to death by lethal injection. I want a firing squad. I want to die like a warrior. I'm ready whenever they are."

• 1:22:43Courtney Brown?

  Today, Ricky Wassenaar is 63 years old, spending every moment of his life behind bars. He continues to pray and has even written and published two books with the help of his sister. His murder trial and sentencing continues to move at an incredibly slow pace. And as of the writing of this episode, a trial date hasn't even been set. And while video surveillance of his murders were likely recovered, every piece of evidence regarding the 2025 massacre remains tightly sealed until Ricky's trial. But this case has brought on a lot of divisive conversations. To some, Ricky Wassenaar is a hero, a man they believe took matters into his own hands, saved taxpayers' money,

• 1:23:26Courtney Brown?

  and eliminated people that preyed on children. But to others, that way of thinking crosses a dangerous line, that it's the justice system's responsibility to be the judge, jury, and executioner, not vigilantes. And perhaps that's what makes this case so unsettling. It forces us to confront the uncomfortable difference between justice and revenge.

• 1:23:54Colin Brown?

  Hey, everybody. Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Murder in America. I know that there are probably so many thoughts swirling in your head at the end of that episode. I mean, wow, what a crazy story. If you love what we do here on the show and you want more, please consider joining us on Patreon, where we post two bonus episodes every single month. On Patreon, you can get access to those bonus episodes. You can get access to early, ad-free versions of every episode of the show, like the one you just listened to. And yeah, I don't even know how many bonus episodes we have on there, 170, 180. So if you love the show, be sure to sign up, because there are so many great episodes on there that sound exactly like the one you just listened to with both Courtney and I,

• 1:24:38Colin Brown?

  the same editing, the same music and everything. And your support on Patreon helps us to support our team, which includes writers, researchers, and editors that all help bring this show to life. Also, don't forget to leave us a five-star review wherever you listen to this show, whether it's Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram, at Murder in America, to see photos from every single case that we cover here on the show. Anyways, y'all, thanks so much for tuning in. I hope everybody has a great weekend or a great week. And yeah, I'll catch y'all on the next one.

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