Stein signs crime bill, potentially restarting death penalty in NC after Charlotte stabbing

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed a law enacting numerous changes to the state’s criminal justice system — including potentially restarting the death penalty — in response to a fatal Charlotte stabbing that drew attention from across the world, but criticized the law for not doing enough to keep North Carolinians safe.

Republicans in the state’s General Assembly crafted the legislation, which sponsors called “Iryna’s Law,” in response to the killing of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte in August. Her alleged killer, Decarlos Brown, had been released and was awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges in a separate case at the time of Zarutska’s death.

The legislation enacts numerous changes to the state’s criminal laws and pretrial procedures. It also requires the governor to seek out the best strategy for restarting executions, which have been held up since 2006 due to legal challenges.

Stein had until Friday to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.

Stein, a Democrat, signed the bill after criticizing its sponsors for failing to include more resources for people with mental health issues. Brown, the suspect in Zarutska’s killing, is a homeless man who has since been sent for psychiatric evaluation to see if he’s mentally fit to stand trial.

"Iryna's Law alerts the judiciary to take a special look at people who may pose unusual risks of violence before determining their bail," Stein said in a video announcing his decision to sign the bill. "That's a good thing and why I have signed it into law. The law fails, however, to focus appropriately on the threat that people pose instead of their ability to post bail."

Video of Zarutska’s death had prompted calls to action from a wide range of officials in and out of the state, including President Donald Trump. Security footage shows a man with a knife rising from his seat on Charlotte’s commuter train to slash Zarutska, who was sitting in the row in front of him. Law enforcement officials have described the attack as a random act of violence.

Republicans, who have controlled the state legislature for more than a decade, blamed Democrats for supporting “soft on crime” policies that allowed Brown back on the street after numerous arrests. Trump and Michael Whatley, who’s seeking the GOP nomination for North Carolina’s open senate seat, falsely blamed former Gov. Roy Cooper for Brown’s release. Cooper is seeking the Democratic nomination in the senate race.

Brown has been arrested more than 14 times, mostly between 2011 and 2014, including an armed robbery conviction for which he served six years behind bars.

At the time of Zarutska’s death, Brown was awaiting trial for misusing the 911 system in January. Misusing the 911 system is a Class 1 misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 120 days in jail. After Brown’s January arrest, a magistrate released him without bail on the promise to appear in court — a common practice in cases involving nonviolent misdemeanors.

The new law puts more political oversight on magistrates and makes it more likely that people with mental health issues could be involuntarily committed to mental health facilities after being arrested for a crime.

However, Stein said it lacks "ambition and vision."

"It simply does not do enough to keep you safe," said Stein, who called on lawmakers to pass his safety package, which includes more "cops on the beat," and violence prevention measures and makes changes to gun laws and the mental health system.

Some Republicans criticized Stein for waiting to sign the bill.

"Governor Stein's reluctance to take action on Iryna's Law shows he cannot be trusted to do the right thing for North Carolina families," said Jason Simmons, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party.

He added: "As a leader, decisive action was needed. Republican legislators acted immediately while Governor Stein chose to belatedly act on a Friday afternoon."

Other Republicans weren't as critical of Stein.

"Better late than never," state Rep. Erin Paré, R-Wake, posted on X, adding: "We must continue to reject soft-on-crime policies and keep NC communities safe."

Restarting capital punishment

The legislation enjoyed bipartisan support in the state House of Representatives before it reached the senate and Senate leader Phil Berger amended it in an effort to restart capital punishment in North Carolina — prompting most Democrats to walk out in protest.

Berger’s amendment, now part of “Iryna’s Law,” puts the onus on the governor’s office to forge a new legal path for restarting executions.

“There are some folks who are out there perfectly fine with us having the death penalty on the books, but not having a death penalty that actually gets implemented,” Berger told reporters after the senate’s vote.

For years, state law allowed lethal injection as the only method for capital punishment, but executions stalled partly because of objections from medical professionals. Stein on Friday vowed not to consider death by firing squad, a method floated by some Republican legislators.

"The General Assembly sprung a last-minute amendment that aims to bring about execution by firing squad to North Carolina," Stein said. "It's barbaric. There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor."

The North Carolina Medical Board has said executing people would be a violation of the Hippocratic Oath that all doctors must swear, to “do no harm.” Any doctor who purposefully kills someone — even if it’s for the government, as part of an official execution — would risk the board revoking their license to practice medicine.

Under “Iryna’s Law,” the Stein administration is responsible for restarting executions by firing squad, the electric chair or some other method. Stein, who served as attorney general from 2017 through 2024, supported the death penalty while in that role and argued many appeals on behalf of the state to keep convicted killers on death row. But he never oversaw any executions.

The North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, a group that lobbies against capital punishment, said Stein's decision moves the state in the wrong direction.

“The way to build true safety is through mental health care, re-entry support, violence prevention, and strong resources for survivors and families," Noel Nickle, the group's executive director, said in a statement.

He added: "This bill ignores proven solutions and doubles down on a system that will never deliver justice or security."