RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a criminal justice bill into law Friday, accelerating death penalty appeals and paving the way for alternative execution methods should lethal injection become unavailable. The move comes amid heightened scrutiny following the death of Oleksandr “Sasha” Zarutskyi,a Ukrainian refugee,and the subsequent charges against a suspect with a history of mental health concerns.
The new legislation mandates that appeals from death-row inmates be heard and reviewed by courts by the end of 2027. It also authorizes the use of other capital punishment methods, possibly including firing squads, if lethal injection is deemed unconstitutional or if the necessary drugs cannot be obtained. While the law does not explicitly mention firing squads, Governor Cooper stated Friday, “there will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor,” calling the idea “barbaric.” He has previously expressed support for the death penalty in cases of “truly heinous crimes,” but emphasized the need to resolve current delays in the execution process.
The bill’s passage follows the arrest of Matthew Brown, who is charged with first-degree murder in state court and faces a federal charge in connection with Zarutskyi’s death. Both charges carry the potential for a death sentence. Brown was initially released on a written promise to appear in January on a misdemeanor charge, after being arrested for repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital, claiming someone was attempting to control him with a foreign substance.
The North Carolina NAACP chapter strongly condemned the bill-signing, asserting that Cooper “chose cruelty over justice” and accusing legislators from both parties of a “shameful failure of leadership.”
governor Cooper also referenced a recent shooting at a southeastern North Carolina waterfront bar that left three dead and several injured, calling for increased mental health services and efforts to prevent “dangerous people” from accessing firearms. He stated, “It’s time to get real about the causes of violence and to take meaningful action to address them.” The North Carolina legislature is next scheduled to convene on October 20.
