Sweeping criminal justice reform named in honor of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee killed on a light rail in Charlotte , has been signed into law by North Carolina’s governor — raising the chances that her alleged murderer could face the death penalty by firing squad.

House Bill 307 — dubbed “Iryna’s Law” — was overwhelmingly approved by both chambers in the Tar Heel State’s Legislature, where Republicans hold a majority. It was then rubber-stamped by the Democratic Governor Josh Stein on Friday.

The bill included an amendment that could allow North Carolina to resume capital punishment, including by firing squad. Lethal injection is currently the only authorized method of execution in the state. 5

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This provision would also bypass legal challenges that have paused exec

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