As state moves toward execution, Ralph Menzies' attorneys appeal to Utah Supreme Court
Attorneys for death row inmate Ralph Menzies have filed an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court, challenging a recent decision that found the 67-year-old convicted killer has dementia, but is still competent enough to be executed.
The news comes as the Utah Attorney General's Office says it plans to move forward with Menzies' firing squad execution, with a hearing set for July 9 to discuss the application for an execution warrant.
An execution warrant, sometimes called a death warrant, is one of the final steps in the process, where the state authorizes the prison to carry out a death sentence after appeals have been exhausted. It's not yet clear how the appeal to the Utah Supreme Court will impact the state's application for an execution warrant.
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Menzies was convicted of murder in 1988 after he kidnapped 26-year-old gas station clerk Maurine Hunsaker from her work and took her up Big Cottonwood Canyon, where she was later found tied to a tree with her throat slashed.
Menzies spent decades on death row, and in recent years his health has deteriorated. After falling several times in prison he was diagnosed with vascular dementia, caused when the brain's blood flow is disrupted, leading to memory loss and declining cognitive function, according to court testimony. An MRI exam showed Menzies' brain tissue is deteriorating, and his balance is fraught, causing him to fall several times each month.
His attorneys say his brain is so damaged that he cannot form a rational understanding of why the state is pursuing the death penalty. The goal of the death penalty — retribution and deterrence — cannot be achieved if Menzies doesn't really understand why he's being executed, they argued.
But attorneys for the state say while Menzies might be suffering from cognitive decline, he doesn't meet that threshold of incompetence. And Utah's 3rd District Judge Matthew Bates ultimately agreed in a ruling issued Friday evening.
Judge says Ralph Menzies does have dementia, but is competent enough to be executed
Menzies' attorneys told Utah News Dispatch they disagree with the ruling and would file an appeal with the Utah Supreme Court. That was made official on Monday, with his attorneys writing they plan to challenge 'the final order finding that despite a proper medical diagnosis of vascular dementia, Mr. Menzies has failed to demonstrate that he is incompetent to be executed.'
In Utah, death row inmates sentenced before May 2004 had a choice between lethal injection and firing squad. Menzies, when he was sentenced in 1988, chose the firing squad. For those sentenced after 2004, the default method of execution is lethal injection, unless the necessary drugs are not available.
The news that Menzies was found competent to be executed was celebrated by Matt Hunsaker, Maurine's son, who told Utah News Dispatch 'my family is very happy to see that we might have some closure coming.'
'We definitely appreciate the fact that it's moving forward, we are in hopes that the flow can continue and we can get an execution date and the death warrant signed immediately,' Hunsaker said on Friday following Bates' ruling.
Menzies' attorney Lindsey Layer, meanwhile, said she respectfully disagreed with the ruling, calling her client 'a severely brain-damaged, wheelchair-bound, 67-year-old man with dementia and significant memory problems.'
'He cannot understand the State's reasons for his execution. His dementia is progressive and he is not going to get better. It is deeply troubling that Utah plans to remove Mr. Menzies from his wheelchair and oxygen tank to strap him into an execution chair and shoot him to death,' Layer said.
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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Unpacking claim Utah lawmaker suggested change in age of consent law as relative faced child rape charges
According to an article published in The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah state Senate President J. Stuart Adams inspired a change in state law that reduced the penalty for cases in which an 18-year-old still enrolled in high school has "consensual" sex with a 13-year-old. At the time the law was changed, Adams reportedly had an 18-year-old relative facing charges of child rape for having sex with a 13-year-old. Although Snopes couldn't independently confirm Adams' relationship to the individual, he didn't deny the individual was related to him in public interviews about the case. Voting records showed that Adams didn't vote on the bill except to adopt an amendment introduced in the House that didn't affect the aforementioned change. Some social media posts claimed that the change "loosened" the age of sexual consent, which is inaccurate — the age of consent in Utah was and still is 18, and the law only altered the charge for the criminal act. The law wasn't retroactive, meaning Adams' relative still faced the original charges of child rape, not a reduced charge. However, the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney in Adams' relative's case reportedly all agreed that the legislative change did impact how the charges were resolved in the relative's plea deal. On Aug. 2, 2025, The Salt Lake Tribune published an article, titled, "Utah's Senate president prompted law change that helped a teen charged with child rape." The article claimed that state Senate President J. Stuart Adams, a Republican, made the initial suggestion that led to a recent change in Utah's child rape penalty, and that Adams had an 18-year-old relative charged with child rape who was indirectly helped by the law's change. The claim went viral on social media, and Snopes readers wrote in and searched the site asking for more information about it. As part of researching this story, we reached out to Adams and the senator who introduced the bill, Kirk Cullimore. We also contacted the journalist who wrote the Salt Lake Tribune article. At the time of publishing, we had not heard back from any of them. Clear information was somewhat difficult to find, as the allegation stemmed solely from the Salt Lake Tribune article. The paper also elected to not publish the name or gender of Adams' purported 18-year-old relative, meaning that Snopes could not independently confirm Adams' relationship to the individual. As a result, there isn't enough information to include a rating on this article. However, some versions of the claim shared on social media inaccurately reported the situation. Here's what we do know: The change lessened a penalty but 'age of consent' law didn't change Some social media posts described the legislation as a change in "age of consent law." However, that's somewhat misleading. A statement from Adams available on the Utah Senate website pointed this out: Contrary to fabricated and baseless claims, the law is not retroactive, does not alter the legal age of consent and does not apply to incidents of rape, aggravated sexual assault or offenses involving force, coercion or threats. The age of sexual consent in Utah is 18. Under state law, any child under the age of 14 cannot legally consent to any form of sexual activity. Any adult having sex with a child under the age of 14 is committing a first-degree felony punishable by a minimum of 25 years in prison and must register as a sex offender. (Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17 can legally consent in some, but not all, circumstances, according to The Salt Lake Tribune). In 2017, the Utah legislature created exceptions to that law for cases where two youths, one of whom was either 12 or 13 years old, "mutually consented" to the sexual activity. The exceptions, which reduce the criminal charges based on the ages of the two participants, cannot be applied to situations involving "rape," "object rape," "forcible sodomy," "aggravated sexual assault," [or] incest." Those exception charges, in order of lowest severity to highest severity, are: Class C misdemeanor: any 12- and 13-year-old with each other, or a 14-year-old with a 13-year-old Class B misdemeanor: a 17-year-old with a 14- or 15-year-old, or a 15-year-old with a 13-year-old Class A misdemeanor: a 16-year-old with a 13-year-old, or a 14- or 15-year-old with a 12-year-old. Third-degree felony: a 17-year-old with a 12- or 13-year-old, or a 16-year-old with a 12-year-old. The provision in S.B. 213 that Adams supposedly influenced extended the third-degree felony charge to include cases in which an 18-year-old still enrolled in high school and 13-year-old had mutually consensual sex. The change, therefore, did not alter consent laws — the age of consent in Utah is still 18. Children under the age of 14 still cannot legally consent, meaning that a teen under the age of 18 who has sex with a 13-year-old is still doing something the state deems illegal. The case against Adams' relative According to The Salt Lake Tribune, an 18-year-old relative of Adams was charged with having sex with a 13-year-old. Since the individual was a legal adult, the state charged the defendant with two counts of child rape and two counts of child sodomy, all of which are first-degree felonies. The article claimed that "plea bargain negotiations were at an impasse" in the case when the law was changed. Sen. Kirk Cullimore, who introduced the legislation that changed the law, told the newspaper that Adams explained the charges against the relative and asked Cullimore to look into the law. Reportedly, Cullimore consulted several criminal lawyers about changing the law, including Cara Tangaro, the attorney defending Adams' relative. According to Cullimore, Tangaro told him that the prosecutor in Adams' relative's case was not "consider[ing] the circumstances and offer[ing] pleas." So he asked her what the ideal scenario would be. Cullimore claimed that Tangaro drafted the language that would allow for the lower-level felony charge, and that neither he nor Adams intended for the law to retroactively apply to the case against Adams' relative. Adams said in a statement to the Tribune that he "did not request the legislation and did not intervene or give input on the drafting of the bill." Voting records showed that he did not vote on the bill except to adopt an amendment introduced in the House that did not affect the aforementioned change. The bill did not apply retroactively, meaning that the 18-year-old did not face the fully reduced charge once the bill was signed into law. However, the judge, prosecutor and defense attorney all agreed that the legislative change did impact how the charges were resolved, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The parties reached a plea deal that required the 18-year-old to plead guilty to aggravated assault (a second-degree felony) and three counts of sexual battery (a class A misdemeanor) instead of the two child rape and child sodomy charges. Crucially, those reduced charges did not require the 18-year-old to register as a sex offender, which the article reported was a sticking point for the prosecutors. The judge "ordered the teen to serve four years on probation, complete sex offender treatment, pay a $1,500 fine and perform 120 hours of community service," according to the article. Criminal Penalties. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. "GOP Lawmaker Changes Law to Help Relative Facing Child Rape Charges." The New Republic. The New Republic, Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. "Here's What Utah Law Says about Minors Having Sex and When They Can Consent." The Salt Lake Tribune, Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. KUTV, Jared Turner. "Utah Senate Leader Denies Influencing Law for Family amid Resignation Calls." KUTV, 9 Aug. 2025, President J. Stuart Adams Addresses False Information | Utah Senate. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. SB0213. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. Senator | Utah Senate. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. ---. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. Utah Code Section 76-5-401.3. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. Utah Code Section 76-5-402.1. Accessed 11 Aug. 2025. "Utah's Senate President Prompted Law Change That Helped a Teen Charged with Child Rape." The Salt Lake Tribune, Accessed 11 Aug. 2025.
Newsweek
05-08-2025
- Newsweek
GOP Senator Changed Child Rape Law After Relative Accused of Sex With Minor
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. An 18-year-old in Utah who was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old avoided jail after the laws governing sexual offenses were changed while his relative was president of the state Senate. Senate President J. Stuart Adams confided to legislators that the law relating to his relative's case should be reviewed in a large bill that was passed in 2024, according to a report from The Salt Lake Tribune. Adams told The Salt Lake Tribune: "Some have suggested this change was made to benefit the case I was made aware of involving the high school senior. That is simply not true. "While the sponsor of [the bill] was aware of the case, I did not request the legislation and did not intervene or give input on the drafting of the bill." Newsweek reached out to Adams via email for further comment. Why It Matters The fact that the 18-year-old was related to someone with significant political power in Utah has raised questions over whether or not the legislation was adopted in order to make the sentencing less strict. While the law did not apply retroactively and the 18-year-old was not charged with the new lower-level crime created by the bill, they nonetheless avoided further jail time and were not required to register as a sex offender after the bill was passed. What To Know SB213, a 49-page bill sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Kirk Cullimore, passed into law in March 2024, changing sentencing rules over sex between teenagers. Prior to the bill passing, the 18-year-old could have faced a charge of child rape, a first-degree felony that would have required them to register as a sex offender, along with a prison sentence ranging anywhere from six years to life in jail. However, the bill allowed a clause that lets 17-year-olds receive a less serious third-degree charge of unlawful sexual activity to be extended to 18-year-olds, provided they were still in high school. The new bill did not apply to cases brought before it became law, but the 18-year-old was not given any jail time beyond the initial week they had spent, after they pleaded guilty to reduced charges. Prosecutor and defense attorney for the case, Cara Tangaro, said in court hearings that the legislation had been crucial to the improved plea deal, telling Judge Rita Cornish at sentencing, "You saw the legislative change. We all agree that's not retroactive, but the government did change their offer based on that." The bill's sponsor, Cullimore, told the Tribune that Adams had requested that the charges against the relative be looked into for the legislation. Adams denied using his political power to benefit a relative. The Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. The Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City. Getty Images What People Are Saying The mother of the 13-year-old told The Salt Lake Tribune: "I feel like a law is the law, regardless of who you are, but that wasn't what was going on here. I feel like [the 18-year-old] just got special nobody was going to say anything about it." What Happens Next Utah will continue to use the new law for sex offenses going forward for all cases.
CNN
31-07-2025
- CNN
‘Why do I hurt?' Inside the final days of a mother who was allegedly poisoned by her husband
Angela Craig spent her last days ill and frustrated as doctors in Colorado couldn't pinpoint why she suddenly felt sluggish despite her active lifestyle. For nearly two weeks in 2023, family and friends saw the 43-year-old deteriorate as they drove her to hospitals and an urgent care clinic, each time returning home without answers. Craig, the youngest of 10 siblings, shared her symptoms with her family over text messages, and a close friend reviewed her vitals. The strange symptoms lasted for 10 days, worsening to the point that she was declared brain dead. The lack of answers frustrated Craig until her last moments earthside. Her final words were: 'Why do I hurt?' according to her sister-in-law, Renee Pray. More than two years later, James Craig, her husband and father of the couple's six children, was convicted Wednesday of killing her, in part by poisoning her protein shakes. The Colorado dentist was found guilty of murder and other charges, and sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole He denied the allegations and had told others his wife had been suffering from suicidal ideations. But testimony from Angela Craig's friends and family paints a picture of a devoted mother experiencing inexplicable, worsening health complications that frustrated and handicapped her from living the active lifestyle she loved. On March 6, 2023, Angela Craig began her day by drinking a protein shake her husband made for her before he went off to work at his dental office in Aurora, Colorado. The couple often made them for each other, prosecutor Ryan Brackley said. After a workout, Angela Craig was feeling sluggish and texted her husband and her older sister, Toni Kofoed, saying her brain didn't want to work, Kofoed testified. The day before, the sisters had returned home from a genealogy conference they attended together in Utah. 'My stomach feels fine, but my head feels funny and dizzy. Very strange,' Angela Craig told her husband via text, according to the probable cause affidavit. James Craig, who was at work, stayed at his practice for a few hours before leaving to take his wife to the hospital, his office manager Caitlin Romero said in court. At the hospital, doctors conducted several tests, including an MRI, CT scan and bloodwork, but Angela Craig was discharged after nothing was found, Brackley said. The next day, she texted her husband and said, 'I feel drugged,' Garrett Lord, a cell phone analysis expert who testified about the Craigs' cell phone data, said in court. Angela Craig thought she had an inner ear infection and noticed her blood sugar level was high despite not having eaten and exercising, her sister, Kofoed, testified. Angela Craig also considered it could be diabetes because there was history of it in her family. 'It makes no sense,' said one message from Angela Craig to her sister. Around this time, text messages to the family group thread increased in frequency as Angela Craig grew concerned and frustrated without a diagnosis, her older brother, Mark Pray testified. At some point that day, she went to an urgent care clinic but was sent home again with questions unanswered about her illness, Brackley said. Angela Craig remained worried about having diabetes and sought the help of one of her best friends three days after she was first hospitalized. Her friend, Nikki Harmon, testified Angela Craig asked her to check her blood sugar levels. Harmon's daughter is a diabetic so her friend knew she'd be able to help her, she said. They became friends when their husbands were in dental school together in Kansas City. The couples also had children around the same ages. When Harmon arrived to the Craigs' home, she recalled Angela Craig 'looked like she hadn't slept well, she wasn't made up for the day' and she was 'just kind of slumped on the couch.' 'She had a protein drink next to her,' Harmon testified. '(She) told me her husband made her the protein shake that morning before he left' and the two friends tried to calculate carbohydrates to see if that had an impact on her blood sugar, Harmon said. Angela Craig was known to be very active and loved exercising on her stationary bike, doing yoga and Pilates, her 21-year-old daughter testified. It was unusual for her to hear that her mother was feeling so tired, she said. Her mother described feeling 'dizzy' and 'heavy' before her symptoms worsened, and she felt 'pukey' and 'less stable on her own two feet,' the daughter said. There was a moment that day when Angela Craig's symptoms became so severe she had to crawl across the floor to call for help because she couldn't get up on her own, said Brackley, the prosecutor. Angela Craig went back to the hospital for her second visit in three days. This time, she was not discharged until several days later. 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'I'm shaking on the inside but I'm not shaking on the outside,' Pray testified his sister Angela Craig told him. That evening, a video from the Craigs' kitchen security camera shows James Craig making another protein shake for his wife. However, Renee Pray testified that she didn't remember who made it or if her sister-in-law even ate that day. The next morning James Craig texted his sister-in-law Renee Pray, asking her to give his wife a dose of clindamycin, an antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections. Angela Craig had been taking it due to a sinus infection, the prosecution said. Mark Pray gave his sister the medicine at 10 a.m. and 'within 20 to 25 minutes, she couldn't even hold herself up,' he testified. Angela Craig was slumped over in her bed when he went back to check on her. That's when Pray carried his youngest sibling to the car and drove her to the hospital. 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The chemical can cause similar symptoms to arsenic, and eventually it results in organ failure, he added during testimony. In the wake of Angela Craig's death, her 21-year-old daughter recalled expressing concerns about her mother's illness being hereditary, to which she said her father stayed quiet. He did however say he didn't want an autopsy to be performed on her mother to 'satisfy their curiosities,' she testified, though it's unclear who he was referring to. During the emotional testimony, the Craigs' daughters denied their mother could have taken her own life. For them, Angela Craig struggled 'like anyone else' but was mostly frustrated over not knowing what was wrong with her. CNN's Melissa Gray, Celina Tebor and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
