On Friday, Democrat Governor Josh Stein reluctantly signed into law Iryna’s Law, a Republican-backed criminal justice reform bill that was fast-tracked through North Carolina’s GOP-controlled legislature in just three days.
The legislation is named after Iryna Zarutska, a refugee brutally murdered on August 22 by Decarlos Brown Jr., a career criminal with more than a dozen prior arrests. Lawmakers say Zarutska’s killing exposed deep flaws in the state’s justice system, where repeat violent offenders are routinely released despite long rap sheets.
Brown’s record stretches back to 2007 and includes arrests for felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and threats of violence. Reports suggest he was arrested and released at least a dozen times, often without serious consequences. Earlier this year, he was freed by a magistrate on nothing more than a written promise to appear—just months before stabbing Zarutska to death on a Charlotte train in an attack caught on surveillance video.
Before signing the bill, Stein dodged questions during a CNN interview when pressed on whether he supported the measure. Instead of a direct answer, he shifted to platitudes about Zarutska’s character and his own “public safety proposals.” His hesitation drew sharp criticism from Republicans.
“Not only is Governor Stein refusing to clearly back a bill that makes North Carolina safer, he’s hiding behind talking points and donor politics,” said NCGOP Communications Director Matt Mercer.
There we have it: @NC_Governor wants to take a week to consult his left-wing donors and handlers to see if it’s ok to protect North Carolina families from violent repeat criminals.
Unreal.#NCPOL #NCGA https://t.co/fUe8PbvGmT
— Matt Mercer (@mattmercer) September 25, 2025
The new law brings sweeping changes to the state’s justice system, including:
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Ending cashless bail for repeat violent offenders.
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Requiring additional mental health evaluations for defendants.
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Granting the chief justice power to suspend magistrates who abuse their discretion.
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Restarting executions in North Carolina, halted since 2006.
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Requiring all death row appeals to be reviewed by 2027.
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Allowing alternative execution methods, such as firing squads, if lethal injection is blocked.
Republicans celebrated the passage of the law as a necessary step to restore accountability after years of leniency in the courts.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance both criticized North Carolina Democrats for enabling the environment that allowed Brown to remain free despite his long history of violence. Brown, who previously served five years for armed robbery, now faces both state and federal charges—including first-degree murder—that could carry the death penalty.
For Zarutska’s family and many across North Carolina, the new law is seen as a measure of justice for a life cut tragically short.
