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 argue his dementia impairs his understanding of the situation.

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