Death Penalty News

One of Florida’s longest-serving death row inmates has been spared from execution amid reports he is suffering from dementia—50 years after he was convicted of a torture murder.  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew William Thompson’s death warrant on Thursday—just five days before the 74-year-old killer’s scheduled execution for what cops at the time called Miami-Dade’s “meanest murder". DeSantis didn’t explain why he withdrew Thompson’s death warrant in a letter he sent to Florida State Prison Warden Randall Polk, which has been viewed by The Post. He had only signed the death warrant on Sept. 11.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an exe­cu­tion war­rant for 74-year-old pris­on­er William ​“Bill” Thompson less than 24 hours after he was released from the hos­pi­tal to the hos­pice wing of the prison. After his attor­neys raised seri­ous con­cerns about his men­tal com­pe­ten­cy and dete­ri­o­rat­ing phys­i­cal health, Gov. DeSantis agreed to tem­porar­i­ly stay the exe­cu­tion so Mr. Thompson’s com­pe­ten­cy can be eval­u­at­ed on October 1. If he is found com­pe­tent, his exe­cu­tion remains sched­uled for October 13.

William Reaves is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Oct. 20th. It's the 18th death warrant Gov. DeSantis has signed this year. Reaves shot Deputy Sheriff Richard Raczkowski in September 23, 1986. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his 18th death warrant of the year Friday. William Reaves, convicted of the 1986 killing of an Indian River County Sheriff's deputy, is set to be executed by lethal injection at Florida State Prison in Starke on Oct. 20.

MIAMI – The last prisoner strapped to a table in Florida’s death chamber was 74 years old—the oldest the state has executed in modern times. The next two set to die are older still. The series of executions, due to be carried out by the end of this month, highlights the nation’s aging death-row population. One of Florida's prisoners scheduled to die in July, a man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend's parents in 1986, is 80 years old and would be only the second known octogenarian to be executed in the U.S.

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness  Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died.  Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.  Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.”  “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.” 

WEST JORDAN, Utah — A mental competency report prepared by a psychologist from Utah's Department of Health & Human Services has found that Ralph Leroy Menzies is incompetent to be executed by firing squad. A copy of the report, filed in West Jordan's 3rd District Court and obtained by FOX 13 News on Friday, declared that Menzies' dementia is so bad that he cannot be restored to any competency to be put to death. "This condition impacts Mr. Menzies' cognitive abilities such that he is unaware of the crime for which he is convicted, the parameters of the case (e.g., victim's identity, specifics acts he was found to have committed, etc.), the capital nature of the sentence he received, or how the punishment will be carried out," the Utah Department of Health & Human Services' evaluator, Dr. Michael Brooks, wrote.

‘Time is of the essence’ the state claims, after supreme court ruling triggers more hearings and evaluations The Utah Supreme Court called off the execution of Ralph Menzies last week nearly 40 years after he murdered Maurine Hunsaker, opening the door for more court hearings and evaluations to determine the extent of the 67-year-old’s dementia.   Now, the Utah Attorney General’s Office is asking the court to move as quickly as possible, warning of an “endless cycle” of petitions pointing to Menzies’ mental decline. 

The impending execution of a man by firing squad in Utah was blocked by the state’s Supreme Court on Friday after his attorneys argued he should be spared because he has dementia. Ralph Leroy Menzies, 67, was set to be executed Sept. 5 for abducting and killing Utah mother of three Maurine Hunsaker in 1986. When given a choice decades ago, Menzies selected a firing squad as his method of execution. He would have become only the sixth US prisoner executed by firing squad since 1977.

As the days tick down to Ralph Menzies’ execution, anti-death penalty advocates said Friday that a firing squad leaves open the possibility for human error and potential suffering.  Menzies is scheduled to die on Sept. 5 for kidnapping and murdering Maurine Hunsaker in 1986 — he is still awaiting a ruling from the Utah Supreme Court, which is considering whether his dementia warrants a pause in execution proceedings for a new competency evaluation.  If the execution does happen, it would be the 4th firing squad the U.S. has seen in 15 years, and just the 6th since executions resumed in 1977.

In what is being described as the “last big hurdle” before his Sept. 5 execution, attorneys for death row inmate Ralph Menzies argued before the Utah Supreme Court that the state should pause proceedings and give the 67-year-old convicted killer with dementia another review to see if he is competent.   Menzies — sentenced to die by firing squad for the 1986 kidnapping and murder of 26-year-old Maurine Hunsaker — is running out of appeals. His death warrant has been signed, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole recently denied him clemency and his execution is now almost two weeks away. 

The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole has denied Ralph Menzies’ request for clemency, one of the death row inmate’s final appeals ahead of his execution scheduled for Sept. 5.  The announcement came Tuesday afternoon, four days after the commutation hearing for the 67-year-old inmate, where board members heard arguments for and against granting Menzies mercy.  Menzies is scheduled to die by firing squad after spending nearly four decades in prison for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, a 26-year-old gas station clerk whom Menzies kidnapped. Hunsaker was brought up Big Cottonwood Canyon, where Menzies tied her to a tree, strangled her, then slashed her throat.

Byron Black was put to death despite uncertainty about whether the device would shock his heart when the lethal chemicals took effect. An inmate executed by the state of Tennessee reportedly cried out in pain shortly after the lethal injection began, with witnesses claiming he was "hurting so bad" despite an implanted defibrillator remaining active. Byron Black's death has sparked controversy, as he was put to death amid uncertainty over whether the device would shock his heart as the lethal chemicals took effect.

Nashville, Tenn. — Tennessee is gearing up for an execution on Tuesday that experts say would likely mark the first time a man has been put to death with a working defibrillator in his chest. Gov. Bill Lee declined Monday to grant a reprieve, clearing the way for Byron Black’s execution after a legal battle and ongoing uncertainty about whether the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator will shock his heart when the lethal drug takes effect. The nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center said it’s unaware of any other cases in which a person on death row made similar claims to Black's about defibrillators or pacemakers. Black's attorneys said they haven't found a comparable case, either.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials must deactivate a death-row inmate 's implanted heart-regulating device to avert the risk that it might try to shock him during his lethal injection, a judge ruled Friday. The order by Nashville Chancellor Russell Perkins comes ahead of the Aug. 5 execution of Byron Black. Black's attorneys have said that the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator could shock him in an attempt to restore his heart's normal rhythm after the single dose of pentobarbital, with the potential for multiple rounds of shocks and extreme pain and suffering.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A Davidson County judge held what is believed to be a first-of-its-kind hearing Monday morning over how the state will handle the scheduled execution of Byron Black. Attorneys for the death row inmate asked the court to order the Tennessee Department of Correction to deactivate Black’s implanted defibrillator just before his lethal injection, arguing the device could interfere with the process if not properly shut off by a trained medical professional. This case centers around Black’s attorneys asking for his heart medical device to be turned off at his execution on August 5. They said this is to prevent excruciating pain.

It’s been less than a year since Utah’s last execution — but more than 15 years since its last firing squad. State officials say they will ‘do it right,’ with date set for Sept. 5 Utah Department of Corrections officials say they’ll be ready to carry out the upcoming execution of death row inmate Ralph Menzies that’s currently scheduled to take place shortly after midnight on Sept. 5. A Utah judge signed Menzies’ death warrant last week , setting the date for the 67-year-old man with dementia to die by firing squad. That is, barring any other legal hurdles.

WEST JORDAN, Utah — A judge has signed a death warrant for condemned killer Ralph Leroy Menzies, setting his execution for Sept. 5. "Mr. Menzies' appeal of the court order finding him competent is not a basis… to stay execution," 3rd District Court Judge Matthew Bates said. Menzies is facing the death penalty for the 1988 kidnapping and murder of Maurine Hunsaker. She was taken from her job at a convenience store and tied up in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Her throat was slit.

A Utah judge says death row inmate Ralph Menzies is mentally competent enough to be executed by firing squad.  In a ruling issued Friday evening, 3rd District Judge Matthew Bates wrote that Menzies does have dementia, but it’s not enough to prevent him from understanding why he’s being punished.  Menzies’ attorneys say they plan to appeal the decision to the Utah Supreme Court.  The ruling caps of a monthslong competency hearing that began in November, where attorneys for Menzies argued the 67-year-old’s brain is so damaged he can’t form a “rational understanding” of why the state is pursuing the death penalty. Attorneys for the state, meanwhile, argued that Menzies does show signs of cognitive decline but he’s still competent. 

Duane Owen is scheduled to die at 6 p.m. Thursday in the 1984 bludgeoning death of Georgianna TALLAHASSEE — A U.S. Supreme Court justice Wednesday denied Palm Beach County killer Duane Owen's appeal to halt his execution, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday. Owen is set to be executed for the 1984 bludgeoning death of Georgianna Worden at her Boca Raton home. Worden was a 38-year-old executive secretary and mother of two. Owen killed her while her children slept nearby. He also received the death penalty in the stabbing death of 14-year-old Karen Slattery, whom he had killed two months earlier while she babysat two children in Delray Beach.

The Florida Supreme Court has summarily dismissed death row inmate Duane Eugene Owen’s attempt to establish that he should not be executed next week because he is too mentally ill to understand the death penalty or why it is to be inflicted upon him. “We affirm the circuit court’s order finding Owen sane to be executed. No rehearing will be entertained by this court, and the mandate shall issue immediately. It is so ordered,” the justices said in an unsigned order. The court added that Owen’s lawyers had missed a legal deadline for filing the challenge. Owen was convicted in the sexual battery and murder Georgianna Worden with five hammer blows to the head within weeks after he sexually assaulted and stabbed to death Karen Slattery in 1984. Worden was a mother whose children slept elsewhere in her home during his crime; Slattery was teenaged babysitter.