North Carolina Governor Signs Law Expanding Capital punishment Options Following RefugeeS Death
RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a new law friday that expedites death penalty appeals and broadens potential execution methods, days after a Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte train. The legislation arrives as the accused, identified as Michael Hacker, faces both state first-degree murder charges and a federal count in connection with the death of iryna Zarutska. Both charges carry the potential for a death sentence.
The law mandates that appeals from death-row inmates be heard and reviewed by courts by the end of 2027. It also allows for the consideration of alternative capital punishment methods – potentially including firing squads – should lethal injection become unavailable or be deemed unconstitutional due to challenges in accessing necessary drugs. While the law does not explicitly authorize firing squads, Governor Cooper stated, ”there will be no firing squads in North Carolina during my time as governor,” calling the practice “barbaric.” He has previously expressed support for the death penalty in cases of “truly heinous crimes,” while emphasizing the need to resolve existing legal hurdles in the execution process.
The legislation’s passage follows the tragic death of 36-year-old Iryna zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who was killed on a Charlotte area Transit System train on September 22nd.Hacker is accused of stabbing Zarutska multiple times.
the North Carolina NAACP chapter strongly condemned the bill-signing, asserting that Governor Cooper “chose cruelty over justice” and criticizing legislators from both parties for their support.
Governor cooper also referenced last weekend’s shooting at a waterfront bar in southeastern North Carolina, which left three people dead and several injured, while advocating for increased mental health services and measures to prevent access to firearms for “perilous people.” The North Carolina legislature is next scheduled to convene on October 20th.