Attorneys claim Menzies ‘incompetent’ for execution, court documents say

Derick Fox
·2 min read
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SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Attorneys for Ralph Menzies, the man who has spent 35 years on Utah’s death row, have filed a petition for their client claiming Menzies suffers from dementia and that execution would be unconstitutional.

In a new filing, Menzies’ attorneys say his cognitive state is “so impaired” that he would be incapable of forming a rational understanding of the State’s reason for his execution.

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The motion comes just a day after District Court Judge Matthew Bates ordered Menzies to appear in person for a hearing in February.

Menzies has been in custody since his 1988 conviction for the murder and kidnapping of Maurine Hunsaker. Hunsaker, a young mother, was abducted from the gas station where she worked and her body was later found at Big Cottonwood Canyon picnic area. She had been found tied to a tree with her throat cut.

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Menzies’ attorneys said that he had begun suffering from chronic dizziness that led to a fall while working at the Utah State Prison. The fall was reportedly so severe that he was hospitalized for several days. Repeated falls in 2023 prompted an MRI which reportedly showed cerebral volume loss, or brain atrophy.

“In simple terms, Mr. Menzies’ brain tissue is shrinking due to the progression of his dementia,” attorneys said in the filing.

Further tests reportedly revealed more severe cognitive deficits, according to court documents. Attorneys say Menzies has presented a good reason for the court to believe he is incompetent to be executed and is asking for the court to order a competency hearing.

Hunsaker’s son, Matthew Hunsaker, told ABC4 earlier this week that he didn’t see any legal arguments that had any bearings that could postpone Menzies’ execution. Last year, Menzies exhausted all the appeals available to him, according to state prosecutors.

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