Iryna Zarutska's Accused Killer Found Incompetent To Stand Trial In Charlotte Stabbing
In a development that has reignited outrage over North Carolina’s handling of violent repeat offenders and the mentally ill, the man accused of savagely murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train - saying "I got that white girl" - has been declared “incapable to proceed” with his state murder trial.
Decarlos Brown Jr., a 35-year-old homeless man with a long criminal history and diagnosed schizophrenia, was evaluated at Central Regional Hospital on December 29, 2025. Court filings made public this week reveal that mental-health experts determined he lacks the capacity to understand the proceedings or assist in his own defense. A motion filed April 7 by his state public defender in Mecklenburg Superior Court formally disclosed the findings and requested a 180-day delay of an upcoming competency hearing originally set for April 30.
The ruling throws the state first-degree murder case into limbo. Under North Carolina law, if Brown is formally ruled incompetent, the charges could eventually be dismissed without prejudice - meaning they could be refiled only if and when he is restored to competency. But restoring competency in cases like this often takes a year or more because of severe shortages at state psychiatric facilities. Brown remains in federal custody, where he faces separate charges that could still carry the death penalty.
A random horror caught on camera
The killing occurred on the evening of August 22, 2025. Twenty-three-year-old Iryna Zarutska, still wearing her black baseball cap from her shift at Zepeddie’s Pizza, boarded the Lynx Blue Line light-rail train heading home. She took a seat. Seconds later, Brown—already seated directly behind her—pulled a pocketknife from his hoodie and stabbed her three times in the neck and upper body in a sudden, unprovoked attack.
Surveillance video, which quickly circulated online, captured the gruesome moment: Zarutska’s desperate attempts to fight back as blood poured from her wounds, while other passengers initially failed to intervene. Brown stood, wandered through the train leaving a trail of blood, and exited at the East/West Boulevard station. He was arrested on the platform minutes later. Investigators say he told officers he believed the young woman had been “reading his mind.”
Zarutska, who had fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 seeking safety and a new life in America, died at the scene. Friends and family described her as vibrant, hardworking, and full of hope. Heart-wrenching videos later shared by loved ones showed her laughing, cooking, and enjoying simple moments with friends—images that stood in heartbreaking contrast to the brutality of her final minutes.
A suspect with a long trail of red flags
Brown was no stranger to the justice system. Court records and family statements show he had amassed more than 14 arrests in North Carolina since 2007, including charges for assault, firearms violations, and felony robbery.
Two years after he was released from a five-year sentence for robbery, the same year Zarutska fled Ukraine, Brown was arrested again for assaulting his sister, who did not pursue charges.
His mother and sister have publicly described a sharp decline in his mental health after a prison stint, including violent outbursts, delusions, and refusal to take prescribed medication for schizophrenia. Despite multiple attempts by his family to have him involuntarily committed, he was repeatedly released - most recently on cashless bail after what authorities described as a bogus 911 call.
Critics have pointed to these repeated failures of the mental-health and criminal-justice systems as the reason Brown was free to board that light-rail train.
Dual tracks: state case stalled, federal case moves forward
While the state murder prosecution now faces indefinite delay, federal authorities are not bound by the same competency ruling. In October 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Brown on charges of committing violence resulting in death on a mass transportation system - a statute that carries the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty. President Donald Trump publicly called for capital punishment in the case shortly after the killing.
Brown’s federal defense team has also raised competency concerns, and psychiatric evaluations in the federal system are ongoing or have been extended. He is currently being held in federal custody, reportedly in Chicago.
Defense attorney Daniel Roberts confirmed to reporters that Brown’s location in federal custody is one reason the state competency hearing needs to be postponed.
Following Zarutska's murder vigils were held in Charlotte and beyond. The graphic video of the attack fueled widespread anger over “soft-on-crime” policies, cashless bail, and the revolving door for mentally ill offenders. Within two months, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed “Iryna’s Law,” a sweeping criminal-justice reform package that ends cashless bail for certain violent and repeat offenders and strengthens background checks for those with serious mental-health histories.
The case also spotlighted broader failures in civil commitment laws. Brown’s family had tried—twice—to have him hospitalized against his will. The first attempt failed because he was not deemed an imminent danger to himself or others under state criteria. The second resulted in a two-week stay and medication, but he was discharged over his mother’s objections. He soon stopped taking his pills and spiraled again.
What happens next?
For Zarutska’s loved ones, the latest court development feels like another cruel delay in seeing justice done. Her boyfriend and family have spoken out repeatedly, slamming the system that allowed a man with such a clear record of violence and mental instability to roam the streets.
Brown’s state case is now effectively on ice. If he is never restored to competency - a real possibility given the backlog of psychiatric beds—the state charges could be dropped permanently. The federal case, however, remains active and could still result in a trial and severe punishment.