Gov. Josh Stein to sign ‘Iryna’s Law’ crime bill into law

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A tough on crime bill passed by state legislators in the wake of a deadly train stabbing will be signed into law by Gov. Josh Stein, his office said Friday.

The governor announced his intention to sign House Bill 307 in a video statement.

The bill is also known as Iryna’s Law after Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman stabbed and killed on a Charlotte train last month. The man accused of stabbing Zarutska, DeCarlos Brown Jr., had a violent criminal history, but was recently charged with a nonviolent misdemeanor crime, and released by a magistrate.

Republican lawmakers drafted the bill, stating it was intended to keep people such as Brown held in jail or treated for mental health concerns.

The bill requires judges to order a mental health evaluation if the suspect faces a violent offense and they’ve been involuntarily committed at some point during the three years prior. Mental health evaluations must also be ordered if the judge believes the defendant is a danger to themselves or others.

But the bill received opposition from Democrats after a late amendment to add alternate execution methods was added.

While North Carolina has capital punishment on the books, continued legal challenges have meant no one has been executed in the state since 2006. Under the bill, North Carolina may adopt execution methods used by other states if current laws are struck down in court.

The North Carolina General Assembly passed the bill on Sept. 23, sending it to Stein’s desk for final approval or a veto.

In his statement, Stein, a Democrat, said he would sign the bill into law because it would make people safer. He made note of both Zarutska’s death and a recent shooting at a restaurant in Southport that left three people dead in his decision to support it.

“These random murders raise real concerns for people all over the state,” Stein said in his statement. “Everyone deserves to be and to feel safe in their daily lives, on their way to or from work, at school, at their place of worship, in a restaurant, and in their own home.”

Despite signing it into law, the governor also voiced several criticisms towards the bill. He said it fails to focus on the threat posed by a person instead of their ability to post bail.

Stein was also critical of the amendment to allow alternative executions methods into the state, such as firing squads.

“It’s barbaric,” Stein said in his statement. “There will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor.”

Additionally, the governor stated the bill did not do enough to keep the public safe, describing it as lacking ambition and vision. The governor called on legislators to pass his comprehensive public safety package, which he said would provide more assigned police officers and violence prevention measures such as stopping juveniles from joining gangs and combating drug addiction.

“If we are serious about making people safer, we have to acknowledge the role that guns and mental health play in violence we’re seeing all across the country,” Stein said in his statement. “We can respect people’s Second Amendment rights while also ensuring anyone who is violent or dangerously mentally ill does not have access to guns.”

Stein urged the use of comprehensive background checks to prevent those who may be violent or dangerous from accessing firearms. He also said families and law enforcement should have the power to seek the temporary removal of guns from individuals who are dangerous to others or themselves.

The governor concluded his comments by calling for a well-function mental health care system, telling legislators they must fund Medicaid when they return to the State Capitol this month.

“It’s time to get real about the causes of violence and to take meaningful action to address them,” the governor said in his statement. “Let’s roll up our sleeves, actually tackle tough issues head on, and put in place effective solutions to make North Carolina families safer. Let’s get to work”