Ralph LeRoy Menzies Dies of Natural Causes in Utah, Closing Nearly 40-Year Death Penalty Case

His death followed a state evaluation finding him incompetent for a firing squad execution because of dementia.

Overview

Prison officials said the 67-year-old died Wednesday at a Utah hospital of presumed natural causes.
He was condemned for the 1986 kidnapping and killing of Maurine Hunsaker and had chosen the firing squad as his execution method.
The Utah Supreme Court halted an August execution date and ordered a new competency evaluation over dementia concerns.
A state Department of Health & Human Services psychologist reported last week that Menzies was not competent to be executed, and a court hearing had been expected in early December.
Hunsaker’s family offered differing reactions, with her son describing relief while a family statement said there was no closure, as the attorney general expressed support for them.