SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole (BOP) is granting Ralph Menzies a commutation hearing following a petition filed by his attorneys earlier this month.
Menzies was convicted in 1988 for the 1986 aggravated murder, kidnapping, and robbery of Maurine Hunsaker. He was placed on death row, where he has remained for the last 37 years as appeals have been filed.
Today, the BOP announced that they will be granting Menzies a commutation hearing. The hearing has not been scheduled, but a date should be selected within the next few days.
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In the petition for commutation filed by Menzies’ attorneys, several key arguments were outlined, mainly revolving around Menzies’ declining health, the presiding judge and former chief justice involved not standing by the death penalty, Menzies’ behavior while incarcerated, and questions regarding the basis of his death sentence…