by A Utah judge has scheduled the execution of Ralph Leroy Menzies, a 67-year-old man on death row for nearly four decades, despite ongoing legal appeals and concerns over his rapidly deteriorating mental health. Menzies is set to be executed on September 5, by firing squad, a method he chose decades ago.
Key Points:
- Crime and Conviction:
- Menzies was convicted in 1988 for the 1986 abduction and murder of Maurine Hunsaker, a 26-year-old mother of three.
- Hunsaker was kidnapped from a convenience store in Kearns, Utah, and found strangled and with her throat cut in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
- Execution Method:
- Menzies selected firing squad as his method of execution, an option available to Utah inmates sentenced before May 2004.
- If carried out, Menzies would become only the sixth person in the U.S. executed by firing squad since 1977.
- Health and Legal Appeals:
- Menzies’ attorneys argue that his advanced dementia makes him unfit for execution.
- He now uses a wheelchair, depends on oxygen, and reportedly does not understand his legal situation.
- Judge Matthew Bates signed the death warrant but has scheduled a July 23 hearing to reassess Menzies’ mental competency.
- The Utah Attorney General’s Office supports the decision, while defense attorneys hope for reconsideration or clemency.
- Family and Public Reaction:
- Matt Hunsaker, Maurine’s son, said the long delay has been “hard to swallow” and welcomed the start of the execution process.
- The ACLU and other advocacy groups have long argued that executing individuals with dementia violates constitutional protections.
- National Context:
- The U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled that executing people who cannot comprehend the reason for their execution is unconstitutional.
- Utah last used a firing squad in 2010; South Carolina also carried out two firing squad executions this year.
- Menzies is one of 10 inmates scheduled for execution across seven U.S. states during the rest of 2025.
- So far, 25 court-ordered executions have occurred in the U.S. this year.
The case underscores ongoing legal and ethical debates over the death penalty, particularly when it involves inmates with severe cognitive impairments.
