Feds to seek death penalty against Tucson man charged with killing deputy U.S. marshal

Federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a Tucson man accused of shooting and killing a U.S. marshal in 2018.

The suspect, Ryan Phillip Schlesinger, “has demonstrated a lack of remorse,” for his crime and poses “a continuing danger to others,” prosecutors said in a recent court filing that laid out their reasoning in favor of capital punishment.

Schlesinger, 28, is accused of using a rifle to kill Deputy U.S. Marshal Chase White in November 2018 at a house on Tucson’s north side.

White, who had been on the job for about three years, was part of a team serving an arrest warrant against Schlesinger for allegedly stalking a member of the Tucson Police Department.

Schlesinger faces charges of first-degree murder of a federal officer, three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, four counts of assault on a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and five counts of discharging a weapon while committing a crime.

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The additional charges stem from allegations he shot at several other federal officers during the incident at a house near North Oracle and West Grant roads.

The grand jury that indicted Schlesinger issued a notice of “special findings” in the case, making him eligible for death penalty consideration.

The special findings included that Schlesinger “intentionally killed” White, that he did so after “substantial planning and premeditation,” and that he “intentionally killed or attempted to kill more than one person in a single criminal episode.”

Schlesinger’s next court date was not immediately available.