For the first time in 15 years, Utah is preparing for a firing squad execution. The inmate in question is Ralph Leroy Menzies, the murderer of Maurine Hunsaker. His execution date has been set for Sept. 5, 2025, which is 40 years after Menzies’ conviction.
Utah’s corrections system has failed both the Hunsaker family and Menzies himself. Despite the horrific actions Menzies committed, Utah is making a mistake in his execution. Utah needs to rethink its decision to revive execution by firing squad.
Menzies and Consent in Execution
Ralph Leroy Menzies’ early life is unimportant. What matters is the fact that he is a murderer. On February 23, 1986, Menzies kidnapped and murdered Maurine Hunsaker.
Maurine was a 26-year-old woman working at a gas station in Kearns, Utah. Her body was found on Feb. 25 in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Menzies was subsequently investigated and charged with Hunsaker’s murder on March 8, 1988…