THE man accused of murdering a woman on a North Carolina light rail could be executed by firing squad due to a new proposed law.
Governor Josh Stein signed “Iryna’s Law” on Friday to honor murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska with criminal justice reforms, including lowered hurdles for the death penalty.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death while riding the light rail on August 22[/caption]
Disturbing surveillance footage showed Decarlos Brown attacking Zarutska[/caption]
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Zarutska’s killing[/caption]
Zarutska, 23, was stabbed in the neck while riding the Charlotte light rail train home from work in August.
Disturbing surveillance footage of the stabbing sparked widespread outrage and calls for harsher punishments and a crackdown on repeat criminal offenders.
Suspected killer Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, had been arrested multiple times before he was seen on video attacking Zarutska, most recently released from jail on cashless bail in January.
Now, House Bill 307 or Iryna’s Law, has been approved by both chambers in North Carolina.
The bill includes an amendment that might allow the state to return to capital punishment, including by firing squad.
Currently, the only legal method of execution is lethal injection.
Execution in the state has been paused since 2006, and there are currently 122 inmates on death row.
The new legislation means that if convicted of Zarutska’s murder, Brown could be killed by firing squad.
Firing squad is currently only a legal method of execution in five US states: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah.
NEW RULES
Iryna’s Law blocks violent criminals and repeat offenders from getting cashless bail.
It also requires more defendants to have their mental health evaluated.
Judges will also have limited control over whether or not someone is released ahead of their trial.
Stein said he signed the law because it “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,” Stein said.
Decarlos Brown Jr.’s criminal history
This is a timeline of Decarlos Brown Jr.’s criminal history since 2011
- 2011-Present: Arrested 14+ times for various crimes such as felony larceny, armed robbery with a dangerous weapon, burglary, shoplifting, assault, making threats/communicating threats, misuse of 911/false emergency calls
- 2020: Sentenced to prison for felony larceny and armed robbery
- 2021: Assaulted his sister shortly after release, causing minor injuries
- January 2025: Arrested for misusing 911 and claiming man-made substances controlled his body
- July 2025: Mental Health evaluation ordered with a schizophrenia diagnosis, but the evaluation was not carried out
However, the governor made it clear he doesn’t agree with every piece of Iryna’s Law.
He slammed the bill’s addition about potential firing squad executions as “barbaric.”
Despite the bill not specifically mentioning the method, the governor said he would refuse the use of firing squads while he’s in office.
Stein’s term ends in January 2029.
Zarutska was a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was murdered on her way home from work[/caption]
Iryna Zarutska, bottom right, in the moments before she was fatally stabbed[/caption]
Brown faces federal and state charges.
President Donald Trump called for Brown to face the death penalty for the alleged murder in a post on social media.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There can be no other option!”
