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A Utah judge has set a September 5 execution date for Ralph Leroy Menzies, despite arguments from his lawyers that his dementia is worsening. Menzies has been on death row for 37 years following his 1986 conviction in the kidnapping and murder of Maurine Hunsaker.
Judge Matthew Bates signed the death warrant, upholding his earlier ruling that Menzies understands the reason for his execution. Menzies’ lawyers have filed a new competency petition, but Judge Bates stated this appeal doesn’t preclude setting an execution date. A hearing on the competency petition is scheduled for July 23.
Menzies’ legal team argues that his declining health, including reliance on a wheelchair and supplemental oxygen, coupled with his cognitive impairment, renders him unable to comprehend his case. Having chosen firing squad decades ago, Menzies could become the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by this method since 1977.
His attorney, Lindsey Layer, expressed hope that the courts or clemency board would intervene, citing the inhumanity of executing someone with severe cognitive decline and memory loss who no longer poses a threat. The Utah Attorney General’s Office expressed confidence in the judge’s decision.
The victim’s son, Matt Hunsaker, who was 10 at the time of his mother’s murder, expressed relief at the judge’s decision. He spoke of the long wait for justice and the impact on his family, now spanning generations.
Hunsaker was abducted from her workplace in Kearns, Utah. Her body was later discovered in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
Menzies was found in possession of Hunsaker’s belongings when arrested on unrelated charges. His subsequent appeals have delayed his execution multiple times.
He chose death by firing squad, an option available to Utah inmates sentenced before 2004.
Utah last carried out an execution by firing squad in 2010. The method remains legal in three other states. Ten people are currently scheduled for execution in seven states for the remainder of 2025, with 25 executions having already taken place this year.