Just over a month after Iryna Zarutska was murdered on a Charlotte light rail transit car, the North Carolina House of Representatives voted 81-31 in favor of a new bill called “Iryna’s Law,” sending it to the governor’s desk. The governor can either turn it into law or veto it.
The office of Democrat Gov. Josh Stein has said the governor is reviewing the legislation — politispeak for he probably won’t sign it into law, at least in its current form.
If the governor planned to sign it, he would have commented directly on the bill’s prospects. But instead, his office issued this statement: “The governor will always do everything in his power to keep people safe.”
No mention of Iryna. No mention of what happened, or what could happen, if the bill does or does not become law. Nothing. Just the kind of vague promise he would have also made if he had purchased new traffic cones for the highway department.
The only thing Stein did commit to was saying he may support some yet-to-be-defined “pretrial reforms.” Still, given the way Democrats in the state House voted, it’s possible the House could override a governor’s veto.
Republicans drafted Iryna’s Law, which includes reinstating death penalty executions in North Carolina and the elimination of cashless bail for some offenses.
For those charged with violent offenses, the bill includes stricter pre-trial release requirements. It redefines “violent offense” to cover assault or use of threat of physical force, the trafficking of fentanyl, certain sex offenses that require registration, and other felonies.
Defendants charged with violent offenses will have a “rebuttable presumption,” which takes into account situations where there is no condition of release that will reasonably assure that the defendant appears or the safety of citizens.
In Iryna Zarutska’s case, her alleged assailant, Decarlos Brown, Jr., was a repeat violent offender who had been arrested 14 times. He was released earlier in 2025 by a magistrate, Teresa Stokes, who has no record of ever passing the bar exam or holding a license to practice law. Before Brown allegedly murdered Zarutska, Stokes had released him on a “written promise to appear” without bond.
On August 22, Brown, captured on video, appeared in that light rail car, knife in hand, and ended Zarutska's life. He is now charged with first-degree murder in a North Carolina court. He’s facing a federal count tied to Zarutska’s murder. In both cases, the death penalty is on the table.
Additional elements of Iryna’s Law include mandatory secured bond and the removal of the “written promise to appear,” though unsecured bonds will be permissible.
The bill includes more constraints on judges and magistrates and what they can do when setting pretrial release. It requires written findings of fact that explain why certain conditions are set. And it defines parameters for judicial orders of an initial mental health examination in certain cases where the offense is violent, or if the defendants are deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
"When we have magistrates who are asleep at the wheel, like this one that obviously was, then we gotta make a change," North Carolina Speaker of the House Rep. Destin Hall told WBTV-TV.
Over one-third of North Carolina House Democrats on hand voted with all Republicans to pass the bill, increasing the likelihood that, veto or not, Iryna’s Law as it stands will become law.
According to reports, there are more than 120 inmates on death row in North Carolina prisons. The last time the state carried out an execution was in 2006.
Stein is the same do-nothing governor who stood by and did the bare minimum when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina. His critics pointed to the fact that the part of the state hardest hit was predominantly conservative.
In July of this year, Stein vetoed a set of bills that would have banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public education, state government, and universities.
If Iryna’s Law is enacted, it will be due to a significant number of Democrat House members who’ve read the room and realize now is the time to get tougher on crime and its perpetrators. This is what the people want.
Stein did his best to praise Iryna Zarutska while committing to do as little as possible to prevent a similar situation in the future in this interview with CNN’s Dana Bash:
He isn’t going to sign it. You have to watch the entire clip. He is not going to sign Iryna’s Law. https://t.co/yAANPvXTy4
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) September 25, 2025
One more thing: If you want to see the Democrats go down to defeat in next year’s midterms and beyond, now is the time to join the battle to Make America Great Again. Without you, America can lose. We need your help to succeed!
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