North Carolina Senate GOP approves Iryna’s Law targeting cashless bail after Charlotte transit killing

North Carolina Senate Republicans on Monday night advanced Iryna’s Law, a package of criminal-justice changes named for Iryna Zarutska, the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death on Charlotte’s Blue Lynx Line last month. The measure would remove cashless bail for violent offenders and tighten pretrial-release conditions, among other steps aimed at increasing safety on public transit and in high-risk cases.

House Bill 307 would modify current state law related to pretrial release for suspects charged with violent offenses, repealing cashless-bail provisions and adding an aggravated-sentencing factor for crimes committed against public transportation riders. It also contains an amendment that would revive capital punishment, a move that would end a de facto moratorium that has persisted since 2006. The Senate passed the bill Monday night, sending it to the Republican-led House for consideration, with the House expected to take up the measure on Tuesday.

Zarutska, a 23-year-old who worked at a local pizza shop, was killed Aug. 22 as she rode the Charlotte light-rail Blue Lynx Line home from work. Surveillance footage showed the attack on a platform, and the case has fueled a national debate over cashless bail reform and rider safety on public transit. Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, a longtime resident with a lengthy rap sheet, was arrested nearby on the station platform and charged with murder in Zarutska’s death. Brown, described in police records as having at least 14 prior arrests, was released on a written promise to appear after a January arrest for a bogus 911 call.

Brown’s case has been cited in broader political discussions about crime and public safety. Separately, U.S. Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Thom Tillis of North Carolina introduced a federal bill to create a transit-safety task force and to bolster reporting of violence on public transportation to Congress.

Family and supporters described Zarutska as generous, with animals and family at the center of her life. On social media, Scott, who chairs the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, said every American deserves to feel safe traveling on transit, and the proposed federal steps would support that goal.

In a post after the Senate’s vote, Senate Leader Phil Berger said that for nearly two decades, "judicial and administrative roadblocks have stopped true justice for victims" and argued it was time to end those impediments. Berger posted the remark on X, and he later said Senate Democrats voted against the death-penalty amendment and stormed out of the session, refusing to vote on the bill.

Democrats from Mecklenburg County, including Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed, criticized the bill, arguing it would "exploit grief" for headlines and votes. The bill now heads to the House, where debate is expected on Tuesday, with leadership signaling support for moving forward but potential revisions as lawmakers weigh concerns about due-process protections and the scope of the death-penalty provision.

Brown’s case has been described by the U.S. Department of Justice as potentially qualifying for the death penalty, given that the act occurred on a mass transportation system and caused death, which could make Brown eligible under state or federal criteria. Zarutska’s killing and the legislative response have intensified a national conversation about how to balance public-safety needs with due-process rights in pretrial-release policies.

Images released in the wake of the incident have underscored the tragedy and the broader policy debate about transit safety.