Voices: How reporting on murder in Utah shaped my views on the death penalty

I was working the night police shift at The Salt Lake Tribune on Feb. 23, 1986, when Ralph Menzies kidnapped 26-year-old Maureen Hunsaker.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Ralph Menzies appears during his commutation hearing before the parole board as he petitions to stop his execution by firing squad, seen here at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.

Voices: How reporting on murder in Utah shaped my views on the death penalty

I was working the night police shift at The Salt Lake Tribune on Feb. 23, 1986, when Ralph Menzies kidnapped 26-year-old Maureen Hunsaker.

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