Legal Ruling and Reactions
Judge Matthew Bates determined , sentenced for the 1988 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, is competent enough to be executed, despite his dementia.
Menzies' attorneys plan to appeal the ruling, arguing his dementia prevents him from understanding his execution. Meanwhile, Hunsaker's son expresses relief that justice is finally being served.
Execution Method and Background
Menzies, having chosen firing squad as his execution method, would be the sixth U.S. prisoner executed by this means since 1977. The Utah Attorney General’s Office plans to file a death warrant soon.
Over nearly four decades, Menzies' multiple appeals delayed his execution, while the case's background details the abduction and murder of Hunsaker, a mother of three, in 1988.