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North Carolina Enacts 'Iryna’s Law,' Tightening Bail and Opening a Path to Restart Executions

Governor Josh Stein signed the measure after Iryna Zarutska’s killing, saying he supports stricter pretrial reviews but rejects alternative execution methods such as firing squads.

A train passes a stop where community members gather for a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Flowers and photos are left near the tracks where Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Community members gather for a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein addresses the media during an event in Raleigh, N.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)

Overview

  • The law bars cashless bail for specified violent offenses and many repeat offenders, curbs magistrate and judicial discretion on pretrial release, and requires more mental health evaluations for certain defendants.
  • It authorizes alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable or unconstitutional and sets deadlines for long-pending death penalty appeals to be scheduled by December 2026 and heard by December 2027.
  • A late Senate amendment by leader Phil Berger shifted responsibility to the governor’s office to devise a path to resume executions in a state that has not carried one out since 2006.
  • The bill drew bipartisan support in the House, while most Senate Democrats walked out over the execution provisions after the amendment was added.
  • The legislation follows the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte; suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. faces state murder and a federal death-penalty-eligible charge and is undergoing a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation, with news reports indicating the Justice Department is seeking capital punishment.