NC House speaker exploring 'potential legislative action' after Charlotte stabbing

Avi Bajpai and Julia Coin, The Charlotte Observer on Sep 8, 2025

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As the fatal stabbing last month of a Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte light rail received national attention and sparked a debate over crime and public safety, a top Republican lawmaker said he was exploring “potential legislative action” that could be taken.

The Aug. 22 death of Iryna Zarutska, 23, at the hands of a stranger onboard the Lynx Blue Line drew reaction from across the state and the country over the weekend after surveillance video of the attack was released by the Charlotte Area Transit System on Friday in response to public records requests, and published by local and national media outlets.

Police arrested 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. in the stabbing and charged him with first-degree murder. Court records show that Brown, who previously served more than five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery he committed while on parole, has cycled through the judicial system off and on over the last 10 years.

Several Republicans, in North Carolina and in Washington, questioned why Brown had been released from custody despite his long mental health and criminal history.

On Monday, House Speaker Destin Hall, one of two Republican leaders of the General Assembly, said judges in North Carolina need to “stop coddling violent criminals and actually enforce the damn law.”

Hall wrote in a post on X that even though Brown had been arrested several times, “social justice warriors in the judicial system let him back out on the streets.” He added that it was “time to clean up the courts.”

Later on Monday, Hall spokeswoman Demi Dowdy told The Charlotte Observer that Hall was exploring if there was any action state lawmakers could take in light of Zarutska’s killing.

“We are taking a close look at potential legislative action to address the public safety failures in Charlotte that led to the horrific murder of Iryna Zarutska,” Dowdy said in a statement. “The people of Charlotte deserve better than soft on crime policies that left Ms. Zarutska vulnerable to a violent repeat offender.”

Hall’s office told The Observer that he was looking at two areas for possible legislative action: reviewing the rules and conditions for pre-trial release, and holding magistrates accountable for releasing offenders without a thorough review of their history.

In a statement Monday evening, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Zarutska’s killing was “a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.”

“Our police officers arrest people only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety,” Lyles, a Democrat, said. “We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets.”

Lyles added that Charlotte has worked with lawmakers on pre-trial release legislation before, and is “ready to partner again at the local, state, and federal level.”

Pretrial release programs allow defendants to get out of jail while their case progresses through typically slow-moving courts.

In January, Brown was released on a written promise to appear, meaning with no bond. Conditions of pre-trial release can include unsecured bond, secured bond, supervision or house arrest.

Magistrate judges are judges who hold limited power — including the power to set bonds for people who have just been arrested.

Court records show that over the course of his criminal history, magistrates set both secured and unsecured bonds for Brown.

In January, though, he was arrested and charged with misusing 911 when he told police a “man-made material” was controlling him. On the same day he was arrested, a magistrate released him on a written order to appear.

The other GOP leader of the General Assembly, weighing in on the stabbing of Zarutska on Monday, also suggested lawmakers may take some kind of action. “It’s time to put soft-on-crime DAs, judges, politicians, and sheriffs on notice,” Senate leader Phil Berger wrote in a post on X. “Their embrace of lawlessness in the name of “equity” will not be tolerated.”

Berger added that he would work with other lawmakers “to go after violent criminals and support law enforcement.”

A spokeswoman for Berger’s office did not respond to questions about possible legislative action on Monday.

The General Assembly is currently adjourned amid disagreements between Hall and Berger and their respective caucuses over a state budget.

Lawmakers were last in Raleigh for a few days in July, during which time they overrode eight vetoes issued by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. They’re next scheduled to return for a few days later this month.

Stein, in his own statement on Zarutska’s killing on Monday, called for GOP lawmakers to come to an agreement on a budget that will give law enforcement raises and help hire and retain more officers.