US EditionUtah death row inmate with dementia dies 3 months after court blocked his execution
Ralph Menzies, who spent over 37 years on Utah's death row, died of vascular dementia before a December competency hearing could assess his execution fitness.
- On Wednesday, Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, died of apparent natural causes at an area hospital at 1:45 p.m. after more than 37 years on Utah's death row.
- The Utah Supreme Court this summer blocked the September execution after Menzies' attorneys argued dementia concerns, and a judge scheduled a mid-December competency hearing as evaluators assessed competency.
- Police records show Menzies abducted Maurine Hunsaker on Feb. 23, 1986, and her body was found two days later about 16 miles away in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
- Hunsaker's family said they were notified and that Menzies' death does not bring them closure, while Utah Attorney General Derek Brown called the victim `a cherished wife and mother`.
- He had chosen the firing-squad method decades earlier after his 1988 sentencing, and a firing-squad execution is rare—Utah last used it in Ronnie Lee Gardner's 2010 case.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Utah death row inmate with dementia dies 3 months after court blocked his execution
A Utah man who was spared execution this fall after developing dementia during his 37 years on death row died Wednesday of apparent natural causes, according to the state’s Department of Corrections.
Death Row Inmate Dies of Natural Causes 3 Months After Utah Supreme Court Blocked His Execution
A Utah death row inmate who escaped execution last fall after developing dementia has just died of what officials say appear to be natural causes, according to the state’s Department of Corrections. The post Death Row Inmate Dies of Natural Causes 3 Months After Utah Supreme Court Blocked His Execution appeared first on Slay News.
Utah death row inmate with dementia dies 3 months after court blocked his execution
A Utah man who was spared execution this fall after developing dementia during his 37 years on death row has died of apparent natural causes. Ralph Leroy Menzies was set to die by firing squad in September. But the Utah…
Utah death row inmate with dementia dies 3 months after court blocked his execution
A Utah man who was spared execution this fall after developing dementia during his 37 years on death row has died of apparent natural causes. Ralph Leroy Menzies was set to die by firing squad in September. But the Utah…
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