Cyberattack delays convicted murderer’s case

A ransomware attack on the Arizona Federal Public Defender’s Office has disrupted Ralph Menzies' mental competency hearing, delaying efforts to determine if the death row inmate is fit for execution.

Defense attorneys asked the court for more time to prepare a reply brief on Menzies’ mental competency last week after the hack “wiped out” their access to case files, according to local media reports.

Menzies was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Maurine Hunsaker in 1986 and is currently on death row in Utah. The competency hearing aims to assess his mental fitness in relation to his execution.​

According to KUTV, a Salt Lake City television station, the public defender’s office lost a nearly complete 25-page draft of the reply brief they were preparing for the file.

The office was forced to shut down its systems and prohibited employees from using personal laptops for work, citing security concerns.

It’s unclear whether any of the lost data can be recovered, or how long it will take to regain access while the IT team is still assessing the damage.

District Judge Mathew Bates granted the defense an extension to file the brief by April 18th. The State did not object and offered to share discovery files and exhibits from its own records to assist the defense.

The brief will respond to the State’s arguments on whether 66-year-old Menzies is fit for execution. The court must determine whether the death row inmate, convicted in 1988, understands what is happening to him and why.

Menzies’ lawyers argue that he should not be executed as he is mentally incompetent, reportedly suffering from dementia and cognitive decline.

Arguments originally set for April 18th are now scheduled for May 7th.