In Salt Lake City, the legal team for a Utah man, who’s been on death row for nearly four decades, argued before a state judge that he should avoid execution due to his severe dementia. Ralph Leroy Menzies, now 67, was originally sentenced to death in 1988 for the murder of Maurine Hunsaker, a mother of three children.
The defense argued Menzies’s dementia prevents him from comprehending the reason for his pending execution. Should the court rule him mentally competent, Menzies might become the next individual in the United States put to death by firing squad, a method brought back into use in recent cases in South Carolina. There, two condemned individuals were recently executed: one for the 2001 murder of his ex-girlfriend’s parents and another for killing an off-duty police officer in 2004.
Experts called by both parties testified about Menzies’s mental state. Prosecutors maintained that Menzies is aware of his situation, whereas defense experts claimed otherwise. Daniel Boyer, serving as prosecutor, insisted on advancing the execution. Concluding the hearing, Judge Matthew Bates announced a verdict would be delivered within the upcoming 60 days.
Menzies’s attorney, Lindsey Layer, highlighted his cognitive struggles, asserting he forgets simple tasks like renewing medications. She likened Menzies’s tech abilities to those of a small child, saying his understanding barely surpasses basic child-like recognition.
Judge Bates challenged this comparison, suggesting that even young children can understand consequences, implying that the grasp on impending execution should be of a deeper understanding. Layer conceded to this notion.
Historically, Menzies isn’t isolated in being diagnosed with dementia while facing execution. In a landmark decision in 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped an Alabama man’s execution on similar dementia grounds. This decision emphasized that when a person cannot fathom why they face execution, it doesn’t fulfill societal retribution goals.
Robin Maher, from the Death Penalty Information Center, stated that protection extends beyond severe mental illness; it can include cases of brain damage or dementia, focusing on the convict’s rational understanding.
Statistics reveal that a majority of U.S. death row inmates spend over 18 years awaiting execution. Menzies, who initially selected the firing squad method due to choice provided before 2004 in Utah, highlights the evolving methods of capital punishment, which default to lethal injection for those sentenced afterward unless the option is unavailable.
Since a 1977 change in execution practices, firing squad has been a rarity with only five such executions in the U.S., three of them occurring in Utah.
The tragic crime scene involving Menzies began when he abducted 26-year-old Hunsaker from her workplace, leading to her death by strangulation and throat slashing in the Wasatch Mountains. At his arrest on separate charges, Menzies had both her wallet and other possessions, which contributed to his conviction.
Efforts by Menzies’s attorneys over decades have resulted in numerous appeals, delaying his sentence, which had been rescheduled multiple times. Meanwhile, Matt Hunsaker, who at a young age lost his mother, conveyed the lasting emotional strain on his family due to the prolonged legal process, expressing relief that resolution may soon be on the horizon.
“For years this has been a shadow hanging over us,” he commented. “We continue to grapple with the loss, wishing for closure.”