Menzies was reportedly subjected to relentless child abuse by his stepfathers, and they had assaulted him, refused to give him food and forced him to sleep in a very small room with his sister for three years, and even prevented him from going to school.
As a result of the abuse, the early death of his biological mother and his sister's need to take care of their younger brother (who was in poor health), Menzies grew up without a proper caretaker or parental figure.
[6] On February 23, 1986, three days after he was released on bail, Ralph Menzies would commit the murder of a woman, which was his most serious and infamous offence so far.
[1][7] Two days later, on February 25, 1986, nearby the Storm Mountain picnic area in Big Cottonwood Canyon, a hiker discovered the body of Hunsaker, whose neck was slit and her wrists riddled with marks, suggesting she was tied up.
An autopsy report showed that Hunsaker died as a result of ligature strangulation, and the slit wound, caused by a knife, had a contributory effect on her death.
Furthermore, two high-school students, Tim Larrabee and Beth Brown, saw two people at Storm Mountain on the morning of February 24 after Hunsaker's disappearance; one of these people matched the description of Hunsaker, and the other, whom Larrabee described as a "White male" with black curly hair and beard who aged 25 to 36, weighed approximately 170 pounds and also 6'1 tall, roughly fitted the description of Menzies.
A buck knife was retrieved as well, and it was found capable to inflict the cut wounds on Hunsaker's neck after being compared to the injuries.
[12] On March 8, 1988, following a month-long trial, the jury found Menzies guilty of first degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.
[13] The defence argued that Menzies should be spared the death penalty and handed a life sentence instead as he suffered from mental disorders and had an abusive childhood, and he should be given judicial mercy on humanitarian grounds.
[14][15][16] On March 23, 1988, Judge Raymond Uno sentenced Menzies to death by firing squad for murdering Hunsaker.
On March 11, 1992, the Utah Supreme Court rejected Menzies's appeal for a re-trial, after they found that the transcription errors caused by a reporter covering his trial did not provide sufficient grounds to reopen his case.
[22] On May 16, 1996, Menzies's request for federal defence lawyers was rejected by U.S. Magistrate Ronald Boyce since his state appeals were not yet exhausted at this point.
[29] On April 2, 2012, Menzies's appeal over the alleged ineffective representation by legal counsel was turned down by the 3rd District Judge Bruce C.
[37] On January 17, 2024, the state lawyers of Utah announced that they were seeking an execution date for Ralph Menzies, who had selected to die by firing squad.
[40] In response, Menzies's defence counsel argued that he should not be executed for he was mentally incompetent to undergo the death penalty.
[45] Matt also urged the courts to ensure a speedy process to determine the fate of Menzies and his mental state.