Prescott-area State Representative Quang Nguyen wants to know how an inmate killed three other inmates at the state prison in Tucson. Nguyen, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Arizona Department of Corrections Director Ryan Thornell demanding answers on the triple homicide that occurred on April 4th.
Nguyen wrote, “The fact that Ricky Wassenaar — a violent criminal with an extensive history, including the 2004 hostage crisis at Lewis Prison — was able to take the lives of three fellow inmates demands an immediate and honest explanation. The public is entitled to know why someone serving multiple life sentences was not tightly secured. His capacity to kill three other inmates in a single day suggests that either the management and operation of the Tucson facility is incompetent, or our system has become dangerously lenient when firmness is required. This matter must not be brushed aside or left to internal spin. It demands more than an internal review — it demands openness and accountability to the public we serve.”