Gov. Spencer Cox said he “struggles” with the death penalty but does not favor full repeal, saying the ultimate punishment should be used very rarely.

Asked about the pending execution of Ralph Menzies, Cox said capital cases are hard and he is “very cautious about the power of the state, especially the power of the state to put people to death.” He added that the state should guard against wrongful executions: “The worst mistake we could ever make is to put someone to death, who was perhaps innocent.”

Cox said in Utah the governor’s office does not have unilateral authority to pardon or commute sentences — a limitation he described as a relief personally, while acknowledging there are reasons most states vest some clemency authority in the governor. “We're one of the only states where... the governor does not have any ability to pardon or or commute sentences at all,” he said, and added he sometimes wished for more legal options to stay or commute sentences.

Discussion points included the emotional difficulty of capital cases, the governor’s caution about state power and error, and the institutional limits on gubernatorial clemency. Cox said the case before him involved defendants he believed were not innocent and that those circumstances influence his stance.

Ending: Cox said capital punishment “has a place in law” but urged that it be exercised rarely and with care.