Republicans in North Carolina’s legislature began advancing a package of changes to the state’s criminal justice system Monday, moving to streamline the state’s death penalty process and tighten pre-trial release requirements after a killing on Charlotte’s light rail last month sparked national attention.
The bill, titled “Iryna’s Law,” serves as lawmakers’ response to the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in late August. Security video of the killing, released earlier this month, immediately garnered headlines and scrutiny — from local and state leaders up to President Donald Trump.
Senators approved the bill Monday evening, 28-8. All eight votes against the measure were Democrats; several others were not present for the vote. The bill now heads to the House, where it is expected to earn majority approval.
The plan is broadly informed by the circumstances of Zarutska’s case: Decarlos Brown, who has been charged with her murder, was homeless, reportedly suffered from untreated mental illness, served six years for armed robbery and had been arrested multiple times.
“North Carolinians deserve to live in safe communities without fear of violent criminals being cycled in and out of the justice system,” House Speaker Destin Hall (R-Caldwell) said in a news release Sunday.
House Bill 307 would eliminate cashless bail in some circumstances. And it changes pre-trial options for defendants accused of “violent offenses” and repeat offenders, requiring either secured bond or house arrest with GPS monitoring. “Written promises” to appear in court for a hearing would be eliminated under the bill.
Repeat offenders who have previously been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital would also face an exam to decide whether they should be re-committed. Arresting officers would “immediately transport” those offenders to a hospital for that exam. (The North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association said Monday they supported the legislation.)
Magistrates who oversee preliminary court hearings would also see additional layers of scrutiny. They would be specifically judged on “timeliness and conflicts of interests,” and would be subject to suspension by Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby.
Bill pursues new path to resume executions
The bill also aims to streamline aspects of the state’s capital punishment process, putting stricter rules on defendants’ ability to appeal and allowing courts to consider public transit as a potential “aggravating factor” when sentencing for violent crimes. And cases in which the death penalty is being sought would proceed in their county of conviction, rather than solely in Wake County.
Sen. Danny Britt (R-Hoke) said cases were “going on too long without a family ever seeing justice for their loved ones.”
“This is an effort to try and speed these up,” Britt said.
Executions have been on pause for almost two decades in North Carolina, amid continuing legal and regulatory challenges. But language inserted into the bill by Senate President Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) on Monday evening would allow the state to continue pursuing executions.
North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) waits ahead of Gov. Josh Stein’s State of the State address in the House chamber on March 12, 2025. (Photo by Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)Lethal injection would remain the state’s default method of execution under the bill. But if a court finds the method to be unconstitutional, the Department of Adult Corrections would be required to adopt another method, one already adopted by other states. That could include the electric chair or a firing squad.
“We’ve allowed bureaucracy and arguments unrelated to the case, and challenges over equipment and professionals and chemicals, to take back ultimate justice out of our society,” Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) said.
Department officials would have about four months to update their guidelines on executions following that court ruling. After those rules are established, defendants’ executions would be set within two months.
Sen. Graig Meyer (D-Orange) said Berger’s amendment sets up “arbitrary timelines and shot clocks on judicial action” that “makes it more likely that we will execute innocent people.”
In response, Sen. Carl Ford (R-Rowan) said that “when someone has committed a heinous crime, and there’s proof of it without a shadow of a doubt, you can sign me up to pull the trigger.”
Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed (D-Mecklenburg), who met with Zarutska’s family after her death, said he had previously intended to vote for the bill. But Berger’s changes to the death penalty lost his support.
“Shame on each and every one of us,” he said.
Democrats: Bill should fund public defenders, mental health
The Republicans’ plan orders a study on mental health and its intersection with the justice system. But it does not appropriate money or make any specific directives on mental health initiatives and treatment — which opponents say is a critical flaw, along with a shortage of public defenders.
“Investing in prosecutors is absolutely what we need to do, but we also need to invest in public defenders’ offices,” Senate Democratic Leader Sydney Batch (D-Wake) said. “If we’re sitting here trying to figure out how to best keep our communities safe, it’s also going to come with more investment.”
Gov. Josh Stein, a Democrat, has said he supports more accountability for magistrates and to examine defendants facing mental health crises.
Britt acknowledged Monday that there was “more work to do” on mental health treatment. He called the bill “a start, but not a finish.”
Senate Democrats also voiced wide-ranging concerns on other parts of the bill, including its changes to capital punishment.
“I cannot support a bill that expedites the death penalty in our state,” said Sen. Sophia Chitlik (D-Durham). “I wish we would consider those solutions that are both efficient and compassionate.”
And Liz Barber, with the ACLU of North Carolina, warned that the bill’s changes could extend already significant wait times at psychiatric facilities.
“Unless the mental health care system is fully funded, then the involuntary commitment process is a road to nowhere,” Barber said.
Democrats sought to amend the bill Monday to include additional mental health funding, without success.
North Carolina state Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed (D-Mecklenburg) speaks on the Senate floor on Sept. 22, 2025. (Photo by Galen Bacharier/NC Newsline)Mohammed proposed spending $5 million to train magistrates on mental health law and other topics. And Sen. Terence Everitt (D-Granville) requested additional money to train law enforcement. Both measures were overruled by Republicans.
Mohammed also proposed banning the use of crime victims’ names, images and likenesses in political advertising. Zarutska’s death appears likely to surface as a campaign issue in the ongoing U.S. Senate contest; Michael Whatley, the Republican candidate, appeared alongside Hall and Berger in a news conference about the legislation last week.
That amendment, along with others proposed by Democrats, were overruled by Republicans and discarded without votes.
The crime bill is at the center of this week’s session at Jones Street, but the General Assembly is also considering several spending bills funding specific parts of the budget. House and Senate leaders remain at an impasse on the broader annual budget.
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