North Carolina Governor Signs Criminal Justice Bill Into Law After Ukrainian Refugee’s Death

CHARLOTTE, USA – SEPTEMBER 11: A view of the memorial dedicated to slained 23 years old Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska at the East/West Blvd lightrail station in Charlotte NC, United States on September 11, 2025. Surveillance video footage of the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska was released as the case garnered national attention. It appears to depict Zarutska getting on a train before taking a seat in front of another passenger. After some time elapses, the other individual opens a knife, stands up and stabs Zarutska. (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Democratic governor has signed into law a criminal justice measure pushed by the Republican-controlled legislature in response to the stabbing death of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train. While Gov. Josh Stein criticized portions of the bill on Friday, his signature still affirms in law the actions of GOP politicians and their allies who demanded reforms. The bill had received bipartisan support in the state House. The new law bars cashless bail for certain violent crimes and limits magistrates’ discretion in pretrial release decisions. The bill authors also seek to restart executions in North Carolina, where capital punishment has not been carried out since 2006.