- The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole grants Ralph Leroy Menzies a commutation hearing.
- The board says, however, it will not revisit Menzies' competency, despite his attorneys' claims of mental decline.
- Menzies, convicted of a 1986 murder, is scheduled for execution by firing squad on Sept. 5.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole has granted death row inmate Ralph Leroy Menzies a commutation hearing.
However, the board says it will not revisit the issue of Menzies' competency.
The board announced Tuesday that after reviewing Menzies' petition for a hearing and the state's response and "after thorough consideration of the information submitted … the board grants the request for a hearing."
A date for the hearing will be scheduled sometime before Menzies' execution date of Sept. 5.
During the hearing, both sides may call witnesses to address the board. Menzies will be allowed to speak directly to the board if he chooses, and victim representatives will also be allowed to provide testimony. Unlike a court hearing, however, there will be no cross examination.
The full five-member board will then consider all the information made available to them and, at some point prior to Sept. 5, vote on whether to change Menzies' death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A final decision will be based on a majority vote.
Menzies, 67, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Sept. 5. He was convicted of robbing, kidnapping and brutally killing Maurine Hunsaker, a 26-year-old mother of three, in 1986.
Attorneys for Menzies claim that their client's mental capacity is quickly diminishing and his "mind has been overtaken by disease and … multiple systemic failures render his death sentence unfair and excessive."
In their written response, attorneys for the state countered that Menzies "understands the world. He is not confused," and "it is beyond dispute here that he understands that he will be executed and why."
Taberon Dave Honie was granted a commutation hearing last year, as was Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010. The board ultimately rejected their arguments, however, and both executions proceeded as scheduled. Gardner was the last Utah inmate put to death by firing squad. Honie died by lethal injection.
Menzies also filed a "Notice of Mental Condition Related to Competency," asserting that he is not competent under Utah law and requested that the board initiate proceedings to determine his competency.
But the board on Tuesday also announced that it is denying his request to initiate a competency inquiry, citing a 3rd District judge's ruling in June that Menzies is competent for execution.
"The June 6, 2025, order makes detailed findings about Mr. Menzies' ability to recall facts, his ability to use reason and logic, his understanding of the legal process — including the role of the board — and his ability to generate ideas to problem solve. Though Mr. Menzies' vascular dementia diagnosis is uncontroverted, the trial court nevertheless found Mr. Menzies competent to be executed," the pardons board said in its decision.
