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WEST JORDAN, Utah – Convicted murderer Ralph Leroy Menzies faces a hearing to determine whether he can be executed or not.
On Monday, Menzies was brought into court for the start of a weeklong hearing to determine whether he is competent enough to be executed. His lawyers claim that Menzies suffers from dementia and that his execution would therefore be unconstitutional. Lawyers for the state have disputed that.
“Menzies has to understand the meaning and the purpose, he has to understand the connection between crime and punishment and he has to understand the purpose. Part of the purpose of society is deterrence,” Menzies’ attorney Eric Zuckerman told The right. “Mr. Menzies has vascular dementia… our experts and (the Utah Department of Health & Human Services) agree with that diagnosis.”
Menzies can look “good on a good day and worse on a bad day,” his lawyer said.
“Even on a good day, he is still significantly disabled,” Zuckerman said.
Menzies was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and murder of Maurine Hunsaker in 1986. In January, The Utah Attorney General’s office has filed a warrant for Menzies’ execution after the The US Supreme Court has rejected his latest appeal.
Multiple experts who evaluated Menzies are expected to testify about their evaluations of him.
This is a breaking news story. Updates on fox13now.com and FOX 13 News as information becomes available.