Summary
The Utah Supreme Court has stopped the execution of Ralph Leroy Menzies, who was scheduled to be executed by firing squad. His lawyers argued that due to severe dementia, he could not understand why he faced execution. The court decided that a lower court needs to reevaluate his mental fitness for execution.
Key Facts
- Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was supposed to be executed by firing squad on September 5, 2023.
- He was convicted of abducting and killing Maurine Hunsaker in 1986.
- Menzies' lawyers say his dementia makes him unable to understand the execution process.
- The Utah Supreme Court halted the execution, requiring a lower court to reassess his competency.
- Significantly, the U.S. Supreme Court has previously blocked executions for people with severe mental illness.
- The last execution by firing squad in Utah was in 2010.
- Menzies would have been the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977.
