Utah judge schedules execution by firing squad for Ralph Leroy Menzies — who has dementia

A Utah judge has set an execution date for Ralph Leroy Menzies, a man with dementia who has been on death row for 37 years. Despite his lawyers filing appeals and arguing that his condition is worsening, Menzies is scheduled to be executed on September 5 for the abduction and killing of Utah mother Maurine Hunsaker in 1986. Menzies chose a firing squad as his method of execution, making him only the sixth US prisoner to be executed by firing squad since 1977.

Judge Matthew Bates signed the death warrant after ruling that Menzies “consistently and rationally” understands why he is facing execution, despite his recent cognitive decline. Menzies’ attorneys have filed a petition for a reassessment of his competency, but Bates proceeded to set the execution date, stating that the pending appeal was not a basis to stop him.

However, Bates did schedule a hearing on July 23 to evaluate the new competency petition, as Menzies’ attorneys claim that his dementia has progressed to the point where he uses a wheelchair, requires oxygen, and cannot comprehend his legal case. They argue that executing a man in such a condition would be inhumane and serve neither justice nor human decency.

The Utah Attorney General’s Office expressed full confidence in the judge’s decision, while the US Supreme Court has previously spared prisoners with dementia from execution in cases where they cannot understand the reason for their death sentence.

For Hunsaker’s son Matt, who was 10 years old when his mother was killed, the long wait for justice has been difficult to bear. Menzies abducted Hunsaker from a convenience store where she worked, later strangling her and cutting her throat at a picnic area in Big Cottonwood Canyon. He was found with Hunsaker’s belongings and was convicted of first-degree murder in 1988.

Despite multiple appeals over the years that delayed his death sentence, Menzies’ execution date has now been set. He is among 10 people scheduled to be executed in seven states for the remainder of 2025. Twenty-five men in the US have already been executed by court order this year.

The use of firing squads for executions remains a controversial method, with only a few states allowing it. Menzies’ case highlights the complexities and moral dilemmas surrounding capital punishment, especially when it involves individuals with cognitive impairments.