A Utah judge on Wednesday scheduled the execution of death row inmate Ralph Leroy Menzies for September 5, following a decades-long legal process. Menzies, 67, was convicted in 1988 for the 1986 abduction and murder of Maurine Hunsaker, a mother of three. He selected the firing squad as his method of execution, a legal option for inmates sentenced in Utah before 2004.
Menzies’ attorneys argue that he suffers from severe dementia and is no longer competent for execution. “He is dependent on oxygen, unable to walk without assistance, and exhibits unmistakable signs of dementia,” said attorney Lindsey Layer. She called the decision “profoundly inhumane.”
In 2025, Judge Matthew Bates ruled that Menzies “consistently and rationally” understands the reason for his execution. Bates reaffirmed that ruling Wednesday, though he did schedule a July 23 hearing to review a new competency petition.
The U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled that individuals who do not understand the reason for their execution may be constitutionally protected from it.
Maurine Hunsaker’s son, Matt, said the decision starts long-awaited closure: “We still don’t have justice served.”
Menzies would be the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977.
Sources:
The Hill – MBFC Rating
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