Two months after her fatal stabbing on Charlotte’s light rail, Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska has a North Carolina crime bill named after her.
Decarlos Brown Jr. was arrested after Blue Line video footage confirmed him as the perpetrator of the stabbing. Brown has a lengthy criminal history, including several felonies, as well as a documented mental illness.
Iryna’s Law attempts to fill the gaps in the criminal justice system Brown fell through — and then some.
Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, first saw the video of the stabbing on social media. Then he saw the news stories about Brown’s criminal and mental health history. He came to the conclusion many North Carolina lawmakers have:
“That individual should have never been on that train that day, and … that he was, was a failure of our j