Decarlos Brown. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office)
DeCarlos Brown remains in federal custody on a federal indictment as defense attorneys are seeking to delay North Carolina state court proceedings in the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska after a psychiatric evaluation found him "incapable to proceed," according to court filings and federal prosecutors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina said in an April 8 post that Brown is being held on a federal indictment. The office emphasized, "The state proceedings, including any competency finding in those proceedings, are completely separate."
Brown faces both a state first-degree murder charge in North Carolina and a federal charge of violence on a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death. Both charges carry the possibility of the death penalty.
In the state case, a psychiatric evaluation at Central Regional Hospital found in a Dec. 29, 2025, report that Brown is "incapable to proceed," according to a motion filed in Mecklenburg County court. A judge has not yet ruled on whether to adopt that finding.
Under North Carolina law, a defendant must be competent to understand the proceedings. When a defendant is found incompetent, criminal proceedings are typically suspended until competency is restored through treatment.
Brown’s public defender has asked the court to delay further proceedings, including a hearing on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty, for 180 days.
The defense also argued that competency restoration cannot move forward while Brown remains in federal custody.
Court records show Brown had multiple prior arrests and convictions for armed robbery that resulted in prison time.
He was arrested in January 2025 for misuse of 911 after he told police a "man-made" substance had been placed inside his body to control his behavior.
In that January case, Brown was released by a magistrate judge and later ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation, with the charge still pending at the time of the August 2025 fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Zarutska.
Iryna Zarutska (bottom R) before she was fatally stabbed on a commuter train on Aug. 22, 2025, in a still from video. Charlotte Area Transit System via AP
The murder of the Ukrainian refugee drew national attention after security footage was released, showing her being attacked on a Charlotte light rail train.
In response, North Carolina lawmakers passed legislation commonly known as "Iryna’s Law," which changed pretrial release procedures in certain violent cases, limited the use of cashless bail for specific offenses, and expanded requirements for mental health evaluations in the criminal justice process. The measure was signed into law in October 2025.
Zarutska came to the United States with her mother seeking safety from the Russia–Ukraine war and had been living in Charlotte.
