MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced at a press conference on Dec. 13 she filed a second death penalty notice against Thomas James Desharnais for allegedly killing his cellmate.
Desharnais is accused of killing his cellmate in 2022, when both men were held at the Lower Buckeye Jail. Desharnais was indicted by a grand jury in July for the murder of Richard Cano Sr., according to court documents.
At the time, Desharnais was in custody, charged with first-degree murder for the death of an 11-year-old boy in 2022. The child’s grandmother, 51-year-old Stephanie Marie Davis, and her husband, Desharnais, are charged with first-degree homicide and child abuse charges, officials said.
Additional charges, including kidnapping and more allegations of abuse, were filed in May of 2023. Davis and Desharnais are scheduled for trial on all charges in 2024 and face the death penalty in the murder case.
“The defendant has shown an utter disregard for life whether he is in the community or in custody,” Mitchell said.
The trials for both cases are set tentatively for next year, according to the country attorney's office.
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