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Sweeping criminal justice reform named in honor of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee killed on a light rail in Charlotte, has been signed into law by North Carolina’s governor — raising the chances that her alleged murderer could face the death penalty by firing squad.
House Bill 307 — dubbed “Iryna’s Law” — was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers in the Tar Heel State’s Legislature, where Republicans hold a majority. It was then rubber-stamped by the Democratic Governor Josh Stein on Friday.
The bill included an amendment that could allow North Carolina to resume capital punishment, including by firing squad. Lethal injection is currently the only authorized method of execution in the state.
This provision would also bypass legal challenges that have paused execution in the state since 2006, WTVD reported.
In addition, the legislation would require death penalty appeals to be heard within two years of filing. The state currently has 122 inmates on death row, according to WCNC.
The sweeping reforms will also see certain violent offenders denied cashless bail and will limit a judge’s authority over pretrial release, while requiring more defendants to undergo mental health evaluations.
These evaluations could become mandatory if a defendant charged with a violent offense has been involuntarily committed in the past three years, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
DeCarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in Zarutska’s killing, was arrested several times prior to the shocking August stabbing. He had been released on cashless bail most recently.
The alleged cold-blooded killer suffered from mental health issues, for which he had previously been admitted to the hospital, according to police.
Brown now faces federal and state charges and 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,” Gov. Stein said in a video statement announcing the bill on Friday.
The Democratic Governor, who formerly served as North Carolina’s attorney general, had previously raised concerns about the bill’s amendment to allow execution by firing squad.
Republicans, however, defended the firing squad provision.
“The capital punishment by firing squad is not a new concept. There have been so many challenges to medical capital punishment versus the gas chamber. Science is constantly changing, but one thing that hasn’t changed in science is what happens with the firing squad,” New Hanover County Republican Chairman John Hinnant told WECT.
“I think we need to make the results and the punishment real. People need to know they’re going to feel it. While it’s an old practice, it’s been deemed reliable as a deterrent.”
Despite signing the bill into law, Stein insisted there “will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor.”
His term will end in January 2029.
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