Menzies should die by terminal illness, not firing squad, his attorneys argue

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Ralph Leroy Menzies faces a commutation hearing before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.

His attorneys argue dementia makes him unfit for execution, seeking to change his sentence to life imprisonment.

The Utah Board of Pardons will make a decision before his scheduled execution on Sept. 5.

SALT LAKE CITY — Attorneys for death row inmate Ralph Leroy Menzies say one way or another, their client will die in prison.

But attorney Eric Zuckerman says the Board of Pardons and Parole should allow Menzies "to die from his terminal illness and not by firing squad."

"Mr Menzies will die in this prison," he told the board. The question is whether he will die from his terminal vascular dementia, "or whether the state of Utah will hasten his dea