SALT LAKE CITY — After nearly four decades of legal proceedings, a Utah judge has ruled that death row inmate Ralph Menzies is competent to be executed, despite his diagnosis of vascular dementia.

Menzies is on death row for killing Maurine Hunsaker in 1986.

In 2024, Menzies’ attorneys filed a petition with the court saying their client has dementia. They said he would not understand the meaning of being executed. However, he failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that his condition prevents him from understanding. As a result, the court concluded that Menzies is competent to be executed.

The decision marks a significant step forward for Hunsaker’s family.

Matt Hunsaker, who was just 10 years old when his mother was murdered, expressed a mix of relief and determination fol

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