Charlotte, North Carolina
Proceedings within the federal case in opposition to Decarlos Brown Jr. — accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte gentle rail train final yr — can be delayed after a decide agreed Brown just isn’t competent to face trial.
Brown was dedicated Tuesday to the lawyer basic’s custody for transport to a safe federal medical facility, the place he was ordered to bear therapy for not more than 4 months.
“The four-month period – as required by law – will give mental health professionals time to determine whether Mr. Brown is likely to become competent to continue with his federal criminal case,” Brown’s attorneys stated in a court filing.
Brown, 34, could face the death penalty within the killing of Zarutska, who was stabbed from behind with a pocketknife whereas seated and her telephone in an unprovoked assault on August 22, 2025.
President Donald Trump and different administration officers have cited the killing of their criticism of main US cities led by Democrats, which they accuse of being tender on crime. The sufferer on this case was a Ukrainian refugee, and Brown is a US-born citizen. In November, the Department of Homeland Security launched a dayslong immigration crackdown in Charlotte, prompting confusion and outrage from neighborhoods with giant immigrant populations.
Zarutska, a university graduate with a level in artwork and restoration, fled the struggle in Ukraine in 2022. At the time of her loss of life, she was working at a pizzeria and finding out to develop into a veterinary assistant.
US District Judge Kenneth Bell stated the federal evaluator in Chicago, the place Brown has been held for competency statement and analysis, decided Brown just isn’t competent to face trial right now, however his prognosis for being restored to competency with treatment is sweet.
Bell additionally famous one other listening to could be required if pressured treatment is deemed essential.
Brown, who entered the courtroom carrying a black and grey jumpsuit and orange shackles on his fingers and toes, had a number of outbursts through the transient listening to Tuesday morning.
As Bell was chatting with the protection, Brown started shouting, asking if the decide wanted a duplicate of an announcement from him. Brown stated he had written a letter to Trump demanding an investigation into, and prices pressed in opposition to, the “matter” controlling his physique. Brown stated the FBI refused to research, and he needed the media in attendance Tuesday to know that.
Brown’s mom attended the listening to. The household told NCS last year Brown suffered from schizophrenia.
“He didn’t seem like himself” after spending 5 years in jail for theft, his sister Tracey Brown advised NCS in September.
The federal prosecutor emphasised Brown just isn’t being launched from custody and stated he’s “hopeful” Brown will stand trial on the federal prices after finishing the ordered therapy.
“Our number one goal here is justice for Iryna Zarutska and Iryna Zarutska’s family,” Russ Ferguson, US lawyer for the Western District of North Carolina, stated. “That’s what’s on the top of our minds and our hearts every day, and this is a step in that process.”
The state homicide case in opposition to Brown has additionally been delayed for a minimum of six months after he was discovered “incapable of proceeding” in courtroom. State prosecutors have stated they are going to wait to renew their prosecution till after the federal case is accomplished.