2 days ago
Victim's family reacts to convicted killer being ruled competent to be executed
SALT LAKE CITY () — Ralph Leroy Menzies, a Utah man convicted of kidnapping, robbing, and killing a woman in the 1980s, is competent to be executed, a court ruled.
It's been nearly four decades since a Utah woman and mother of three Maurine Hunsaker was kidnapped and killed. Her family says after the judge's decision on Friday, justice is being served.
'She was my world, she was everything to me and that's why for all these years I've never given up the fight because of what she meant to me and what I lost,' her son Matt Hunsaker told
It is a fight Hunsaker has been chasing for nearly four decades. 'The system has failed, 40 years, that's a long time,' Hunsaker said, referring to the nearly 40 years Menzies has been on death row.
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On Friday, Judge Matthew Bates ruled Ralph Menzies is competent enough to be executed despite having dementia. This is news Hunsaker had been hopeful for.
'We were waiting for what was coming out and we knew it was a pivotal decision that was going to change lives honestly,' Hunsaker said.
He also says it is bringing him relief.
'Wanting my mom to be proud of me for fighting as hard as I did. It helped my drive and kept me focused to make sure my mom is remembered,' Hunsaker said.
Menzies has been on death row since 1988 for the murder of Hunsaker's mother, Maurine.
She was kidnapped from her job at a convenience store in Kearns in 1986 and later found in Cottonwood Canyon, tied to a tree and with her throat slit.
Matt was 10 years old at the time.
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'He took from me I will never get back, and I will never stop fighting unless there is no fight to fight for,' Hunsaker said.
On the other hand, Menzie's attorney, Lindsey Layer, says they plan to fight too, by appealing to the Utah Supreme Court. She said her 67-year-old client suffers from dementia and severe memory loss, which was the reason behind the competency hearing.
Layer called it 'deeply troubling' that Utah plans to 'remove Menzie from his wheelchair and oxygen tank, strap him to an execution chair, and shoot him to death,' she said in a statement to
However, Hunsaker said it is not just about punishment, it is about finally turning the page on a lifetime of loss.
'We were at peace either way, but now let's see this execution happen, let's get this over with, and let's let the family close this chapter and move on,' Hunsaker said.
Hunsaker said he hopes this next phase of appeals goes quickly and he plans on showing up to any possible scheduled execution.
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