Utah killer with dementia is competent enough for death sentence to be carried out, judge rules
Share and Follow

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A convicted killer in Utah who developed dementia during his time on death row is competent enough to be executed, a state judge ruled on Friday.

Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was found guilty and sentenced to death in March 1988 for the 1986 killing of Maurine Hunsaker, a 26-year-old mother of three.

Judge Matthew Bates said Menzies “consistently and rationally understands” what is happening and why he is facing execution, despite his recent cognitive decline.

“Menzies has not shown by a preponderance of the evidence that his understanding of his specific crime and punishment has fluctuated or declined in a way that offends the Eighth Amendment,” which prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, Bates said in his court order.

Execution chair

Ralph Leroy Menzies had selected the firing squad as his method of execution. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP, Pool, File)

“Ralph Menzies is a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems,” his attorney, Lindsey Layer, said in a statement. “It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death.”

The U.S. Supreme Court has previously spared death row inmates with dementia from execution, including an Alabama man in 2019 who was convicted of killing a police officer.

Since his sentencing 37 years ago, Menzies’ attorneys have filed multiple appeals that delayed his death sentence, which had been scheduled at least twice before it was postponed.

South Carolina firing squad execution chair

Ralph Leroy Menzies would become only the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977. (South Carolina Department of Corrections via AP)

Menzies had abducted Hunsaker in February 1986 from the convenience store where she worked, just three days after he was released on bail over an unrelated crime. Hunsaker was later found strangled with her throat cut at a picnic area in the Wasatch Mountains of northern Utah.

When he was later jailed on unrelated matters, Menzies had Hunsaker’s wallet and several other items that belonged to her. He was convicted of first-degree murder and other crimes.

Matt Hunsaker, who was 10 years old when his mother was killed, said Friday that his family is overwhelmed with emotion to know that justice will finally be served.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
MLB legend Ryne Sandberg dies at 65

Baseball Icon Ryne Sandberg Passes Away at 65

Sandberg was surrounded by his family when he died at his home…
Russia's Aeroflot hit with 'hacker attack' by pro-Ukrainian group, cancels dozens of flights

Russia’s Aeroflot hit with ‘hacker attack’ by pro-Ukrainian group, cancels dozens of flights

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Russia’s national airline Aeroflot…
Starmer says UK to recognize Palestinian state if Israel doesn't agree to ceasefire, Hamas must 'disarm'

Starmer says UK to recognize Palestinian state if Israel doesn’t agree to ceasefire, Hamas must ‘disarm’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The United Kingdom will…
JD Vance touts success of the 'big, beautiful bill'

JD Vance Highlights Achievements of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’

() Vice President JD Vance visited a steel plant in Ohio to…
Prosecutors: Man charged with killing daughter-in-law planned to murder her a week ago

Prosecutors: Man’s Deadly Plot Against Daughter-in-Law Was Weeks in the Making

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. Prosecutors say the man charged with shooting and killing…
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: What to know about the US-backed aid group

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: What to know about the US-backed aid group

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! President Donald Trump addressed…
NFL employee severely injured in deadly NYC shooting, league reveals

NFL Staff Member Seriously Hurt in Fatal NYC Shooting, League Announces

An employee of the NFL has been hospitalized after suffering “serious injuries”…
Chicago Air & Water Show 2025 includes U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, Golden Knights at North Avenue Beach near Lincoln Park

2025 Chicago Air & Water Show to Showcase U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and Golden Knights at North Avenue Beach by Lincoln Park

CHICAGO (WLS) — The 2025 Chicago Air & Water Show lineup was…