North Carolina | “Incapable to proceed”: man who killed Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska ruled incompetent

DeCarlos Brown, accused of stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train, has been found mentally unfit for trial, stalling death penalty proceedings.

DeCarlos Brown Jr., accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train in August 2025, has been found mentally incapable of standing trial, according to a court motion filed 7 April in Mecklenburg Superior Court.

A 29 December 2025 report from Central Regional Hospital, a state psychiatric facility in Granville County, concluded that Brown was "incapable to proceed to trial," according to the motion filed by his attorney, Daniel Roberts. The evaluation was ordered after Brown's defense raised concerns about his mental state.

Under North Carolina law, a defendant who cannot understand the nature of the proceedings against him or assist in his own defense cannot be prosecuted — including for a capital offense — though the final determination rests with a judge.

The next procedural step is a competency hearing in Mecklenburg Superior Court, where a judge will rule on whether Brown can stand trial. Roberts noted in the motion that the hearing cannot proceed while Brown remains in federal custody. 

The defense asked for a six-month continuance of the Rule 24 hearing — the proceeding at which a judge determines whether prosecutors may seek the death penalty. No ruling on that request has been issued.

Federal case also on hold

Brown faces parallel proceedings. In addition to first-degree murder at the state level, he faces a federal charge of committing an act of violence resulting in death on a mass transportation system. 

Both state and federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

A separate psychological evaluation is underway within the federal prison system, with results expected later in April. If Brown is found incompetent in that process as well, a federal judge must hold a separate capacity hearing. 

The state case is effectively frozen while the federal matter is unresolved.

A lengthy criminal history

Surveillance cameras captured the attack on 22 August 2025. Zarutska, who had come to the United States from Ukraine fleeing the war, was sitting on public transit looking at her phone when Brown abruptly rose from his seat and fatally stabbed three times from behind — including at least once in the neck — while seated on the Lynx Blue Line on Aug. 22, 2025. She died on the scene.

Surveillance footage showed Zarutska boarding the train and sitting in the row in front of Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, who was already seated. About four minutes later, Brown pulled a pocketknife from his hoodie, unfolded it and stabbed her without provocation, officials said. He exited at the East/West Boulevard station and was arrested on the platform. 

The attack drew national attention after video was released, sparking debate over crime and repeat offenders. Brown had a lengthy criminal history in Mecklenburg County dating back to 2007, with at least 14 prior arrests and multiple convictions that included breaking and entering, felony larceny, shoplifting and a 2015 armed robbery that sent him to state prison for more than five years until his release in 2020.

Source: euromaidanpress.com, Maria Tril, AI, April 9, 2026

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but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."

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