Utah Supreme Court blocks execution of prisoner with dementia who chose to die by firing squad

Utah Supreme Court blocks firing squad execution of prisoner with dementia

The impending execution of a man by firing squad in Utah was blocked by the state’s Supreme Court on Friday after his attorneys argued he should be spared because he has dementia.

Court halts firing squad execution in Utah over questions surrounding inmate's dementia

Ralph Menzies had been set to die by firing squad just after midnight on Sept. 5 for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, a married mother of three.

Death row inmate Ralph Menzies wins appeal, Sept. 5 execution called off

Ralph Menzies appears during his commutation hearing before the parole board at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City as he petitions to stop his execution by firing squad on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (Pool photo by Bethany Baker/The Salt Lake Tribune) This is a breaking story and was updated at 6:00 p.m. With less than a week before his scheduled firing squad execution, the Utah Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of death…

Utah Supreme Court blocks execution of prisoner with dementia who chose to die by firing squad

The impending execution of a man by firing squad in Utah has been blocked by the state’s Supreme Court.

Ralph Menzies’ execution called off by Utah Supreme Court days before he was set to die by firing squad

Ralph Menzies was scheduled to die by firing squad in less than a week. But his execution was called off Friday after the Utah Supreme Court said the inmate, who has dementia, needs an additional evaluation of his competency.

Menzies death sentence overturned by Utah Supreme Court

The Utah Supreme Court has overturned condemned killer Ralph Leroy Menzies' death sentence. In a ruling issued late Friday, the Court overruled