The Utah Supreme Court has stopped a firing squad execution set for next week over concerns that the inmate being put to death has dementia so severe, that he doesn't understand why he's being killed.
The court's ruling on Friday, Aug. 29, vacates the execution warrant for Ralph Menzies and sends the case back to a lower court so that his mental capacity can be reevaluated.
Menzies, 67, had been set to die by firing squad just after midnight on Friday, Sept. 5, for the 1986 murder of 26-year-old Maurine Hunsaker, a married mother of three who was kidnapped, robbed, strangled, and found tied to a tree with her throat slit.
Menzies' attorney, Lindsey Layer, told USA TODAY that Menzies' dementia has "significantly worsened" since his last evaluation over a year ago.
"He’s tethered to an oxygen tank, uses a wheelchair, is confused and disoriented, and no longer understands why the State of Utah is trying to kill him," she said. "We look forward to presenting our case in the trial court."
