North Carolina Governor Josh Stein (D) signed House Bill 307, dubbed Iryna&rsquo;s Law, on Friday, September 3, implementing broad criminal justice reforms in response to the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train.
The new law streamlines the death penalty process, requiring rapid review of capital case appeals filed within two years. 
Appeals older than two years must be scheduled for hearings by December 2026, with final decisions completed by December 2027.
Pretrial release rules have also been tightened.&nbsp;
Certain violent offenders are now denied cashless bail, and mandatory mental health evaluations are required for defendants who were involuntarily committed within the past three years.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, a schizophrenic homeless man with a prior criminal record, faces charges for Zarutska&rsquo;s murder. 
Brown had multiple past arrests for robbery, felony larceny, and threats but had been released on cashless bail prior to the attack.
Iryna&rsquo;s Law also updates execution methods, reinstating electrocution and lethal gas alongside lethal injection. 
It allows North Carolina to adopt execution methods used in other states if deemed constitutional.&nbsp;
Additionally, the bill introduces a new aggravating factor, permitting prosecutors to seek the death penalty for murders committed on public transportation.
Lawmakers emphasized that the reforms were prompted by the tragic death of 23-year-old Zarutska, who had fled conflict in Ukraine, with the goal of preventing similar crimes and ensuring faster justice in capital cases.

North Carolina lawmakers sign criminal justice reforms

New law speeds up death penalty appeals, tightens bail after Ukrainian refugee’s murder

North Carolina Enacts Iryna’s Law Reforms

New law speeds up death penalty appeals, tightens bail after Ukrainian refugee’s murder

October 5, 2025 | 17:07 IST