Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch seeks an execution date for Charles Ray Crawford, convicted of killing Kristy Ray. Crawford’s attorneys plan to appeal to the Supreme Court due to a past rape conviction used as an aggravating circumstance. Despite claims of ineffective assistance for an insanity defense, Crawford’s appeal was rejected by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
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Utah judge rules a convicted killer with dementia is competent to be executed
A Utah judge ruled that Ralph Leroy Menzies, a convicted killer on death row for 37 years, is competent enough to be executed despite his dementia. Menzies, sentenced for the 1988 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, understands the nature of his punishment, according to Judge Matthew Bates, who noted that his cognitive decline does not violate the Eighth Amendment. Menzies, who has chosen a firing squad for execution, plans to appeal the ruling, as his attorneys...
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