The state of Utah filed a court request on January 17, 2024 asking for an execution warrant for Ralph Menzies for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker.

This moves Utah a step closer to performing the execution of Menzies by firing squad. A judge has not yet signed the warrant. It’s expected that District Judge Matthew Bates will hold a hearing. If the court does not find a reason to delay signing the death warrant, the judge will then sign the warrant. If the warrant is signed, an execution date will be set.

“The warrant shall state the conviction, the judgment, the method of execution, and the appointed day the judgment is to be executed, which may not be fewer than 30 days nor more than 60 days from the date of issuance of the warrant, and may not be a Sunday, Monday, or a legal holiday,” Utah code states.

It’s been more than a decade since Utah has performed an execution. The last one occurred on June 18, 2010, when Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad.