NC GOP Leaders Announce Crime Crackdown Following Charlotte Murder, Kirk Assassination

Top Republican leaders at the North Carolina General Assembly pledged Wednesday to push sweeping criminal justice reforms later this month in response to two high-profile killings: the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte and the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus event in Utah.

House Speaker Destin Hall, Senate Leader Phil Berger, and former GOP chairman Michael Whatley said at a press conference that “soft on crime” policies are fueling violence. They promised legislation to end cashless bail, limit magistrates’ discretion, and explore reinstating the death penalty.

“This was largely as a result of somebody being released from a jail who should not have been released,” Hall said of the Charlotte case. “We’ve got to get to the bottom of how it happened … and we’re looking at a number of possible legislative actions.”

Federal prosecutors this week added a terror attack charge against Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on Aug. 22. He also faces a first-degree murder charge at the state level and had been arrested multiple times for violent crimes.

Whatley, who is running for U.S. Senate in 2026 against former governor Roy Cooper, invoked scripture and said political rhetoric is partly to blame. “President Trump was spot on about what leads to a culture like this one,” Whatley said. “When folks on the left seek to dehumanize those they disagree with … that’s what leads to deranged people doing cowardly and evil acts.”

Berger called for “bold, decisive action” and said he is examining ways to restart the death penalty. “Policing doesn’t need to be reimagined,” he added. “It needs to be respected. It needs to be funded.”

The proposal, expected the week of Sept. 22, will include:

• Restricting magistrates’ authority to release violent offenders

• Requiring secured bonds for repeat offenders

• Reviewing Mecklenburg County and Charlotte bail reform programs

  
  

Hall said he has already begun bipartisan talks with Gov. Josh Stein. “Our goal right now is to have a bipartisan solution,” Hall said. “We know we need to act quickly, and I think anyone would understand that, including the governor.”

Stein, in a statement on social media, called the recent string of killings and school shootings “devastating tragedies” and urged Americans to “fight for the soul of this nation.”

Republicans swiftly criticized the governor’s language, saying calls to “fight” were inappropriate amid rising political violence.

Press Conference