North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) on Friday signed into law new criminal justice legislation in honor of Iryna Zarutska, 23, who was killed while in transit on the Charlotte light rail in August.
House Bill 307, also referenced as “Iryna’s Law,” was overwhelmingly approved by the Tar Heel State’s Legislature, where Republicans hold the majority in both chambers.
The law will lower hurdles for the death penalty in North Carolina by removing prior barriers that barred executions and will also require the swift review of death penalty appeals filed within two years.
Any appeal or motion filed more than two years ago must be scheduled for hearing by December 2026, and the hearing must take place by December 2027, according to the legislative text.
Under the new law, certain violent offenders would be denied cashless bail and limits judges authority over pretrial release while requiring more defendants to undergo mental health evaluations. The evaluations could become mandatory if a defendant charged with a violent offense has been involuntarily committed within the past three years, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
The suspect in Zarutska’s killing, DeCarlos Brown Jr., was arrested several times prior to the stabbing onboard the Charlotte train. Police said he suffered from mental health issues, for which he’d been admitted to the hospital.
Brown, who now faces federal and state charges, could receive the death penalty if convicted.
“House Bill 307, or ‘Iryna’s Law,’ alerts the judiciary to take a special look at people who may pose unusual risks of violence before determining their bail. That’s a good thing and why I have signed it into law,” Stein said in a video discussing the bill signing.
“The law fails, however, to focus appropriately on the threat that people pose instead of their ability to post bail,” he added.
Stein, who formerly served as North Carolina’s attorney general, also raised concerns about the bill’s attempt to open the door to firing squad executions in lieu of the state’s inability to obtain the necessary drugs for lethal injections.
The governor said the text was adjusted to include the provision through a “last-minute” GOP amendment.
“It’s barbaric. There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor. Beyond those specific concerns with the legislation, I’m troubled by its lack of ambition or vision,” Stein said in the video. “It simply does not do enough to keep you safe.”
The Democratic governor has urged Republicans to return to session and approve his public safety package that increases police pay and funds measures for violence prevention.
Stein and other party members have pushed for more bipartisan reforms as the state becomes a national focal point for the Trump administration’s campaign alleging Democratic-led areas have failed to properly address crime.
“Tragic incidents like these should force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes. We will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health,” Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles (D) said in an August statement after the killing of Zarutska.
