SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge has ruled that a convicted killer, who has been on death row for nearly four decades and has developed dementia, remains competent enough to be executed. Ralph Leroy Menzies, aged 67, was sentenced to death back in 1988 for the murder of Maurine Hunsaker, a Utah mother of three. In light of his ongoing cognitive challenges, Judge Matthew Bates concluded that Menzies “consistently and rationally understands” the proceedings and the rationale behind his impending execution.
The decision hinges on the assessment that Menzies’ grasp of his crime and its consequences has not deteriorated to the extent that would violate the Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishment. Initially, Menzies had expressed his preference for execution by firing squad, a method that would make him only the sixth person in the United States to meet such an end since 1977. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is poised to request a death warrant.
Legal representatives for Menzies contend that his dementia impairs his ability to comprehend the reasons for his execution, and they intend to challenge the decision in the state Supreme Court. “Ralph Menzies suffers from severe brain damage, uses a wheelchair, and struggles with significant memory issues,” stated his attorney, Lindsey Layer. “Utah’s plan to remove him from his wheelchair, detach him from his oxygen supply, and execute him by gunfire raises profound concerns.”
Historically, the U.S. Supreme Court has intervened in similar cases, sparing individuals with dementia from execution—markedly reminiscent of a 2019 reprieve granted to an Alabama prisoner who had killed a police officer.
Throughout the years, Menzies’ legal teams have lodged numerous appeals that have stalled his execution, despite the death sentence being scheduled on at least two occasions. Menzies was accused of abducting the 26-year-old Hunsaker from her workplace at a convenience store and subsequently murdering her in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah. He had several of her belongings with him when he was arrested for an unrelated offense, leading to his conviction for first-degree murder, among other charges.
Matt Hunsaker, who was merely a child of 10 at the time of his mother’s killing, expressed a mix of emotions as the family anticipates the closure promised by the impending execution. He noted how overwhelmed they feel at the prospect of seeing justice finally delivered.