Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly are stepping up to rectify Roy Cooper’s failures as Governor by introducing Iryna’s Law in honor of Iryna Zarutska, the young woman who was brutally stabbed to death by a career criminal, DeCarlos Brown, on the Charlotte Light Rail. Iryna’s Law eliminates cashless bail for violent offenders, tightens up the conditions for pretrial release, and prevents future soft-on-crime task forces like Roy Cooper’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice from being created by North Carolina executive branch officials.
“Radical Roy Cooper’s soft-on-crime policies led to the tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska by a violent criminal with 14 prior arrests,” said NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia. “While Cooper coddles criminals, Republicans are fighting to ensure every North Carolina family is safe in their communities. In 2026, North Carolinians will reject Cooper for prioritizing criminals over their safety.”
Background:
- Despite 14 prior arrests, Brown was released back onto the streets after Roy Cooper signed his soft-on-crime executive order in 2020.
- Brown was recently released without bail in 2025 — a policy recommended by Roy Cooper’s soft-on-crime Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice.
- According to Cooper, the task force also recommended implementing “pretrial release.”
Roy Cooper is a radical leftist who prioritizes criminals over North Carolinians’ safety:
Under Cooper, in less than a year, nearly 500 illegal immigrants were freed from jails across North Carolina, including those with sex offense, kidnapping, arson, and homicide charges.
Cooper was endorsed by a radical group that wants to defund the police.
In the waning days of Cooper’s governorship, he commuted the sentences of 15 convicted criminals on death row, including murderers and a rapist.
Under Cooper, 3,500 inmates were released from North Carolina prisons.
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