A North Carolina court has found Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train, incapable of standing trial in the state murder case.
According to court filings reported this week, Brown's lawyers said a state psychiatric facility determined in December 2025 that he was "incapable to proceed," and they asked the court to delay the case for six months. Prosecutors did not oppose the request, and the case will remain paused until Brown is evaluated again.
Brown was charged after the Aug. 22, 2025, stabbing death of Zarutska, who was 23 and had fled Ukraine to escape the war there. Police said surveillance video from the train captured the attack, which investigators described as sudden and unprovoked, according to the New York Post.
Brown was described in reporting and court records as schizophrenic, and multiple outlets said he had been arrested 14 times before the killing. Reports also said his history included prior violence, repeated law enforcement encounters, and earlier mental health crises.
After the attack, Brown was arrested and later faced both state and federal proceedings. Federal prosecutors have also brought a charge tied to violence on a mass transportation system, a case that could carry the possibility of life in prison or the death penalty, the Seattle Times reported.
The recent court finding does not end the case, but it stops the state trial from moving forward unless Brown is later found mentally restored. North Carolina law bars a defendant from being tried if he cannot understand the proceedings or help in his own defense.
Brown remains in the custody of the legal and mental health system while doctors and the court continue to review whether he can proceed.
Court records and reporting said the competency finding followed an evaluation at Central Regional Hospital, where doctors reviewed whether Brown understood the charges and could assist his lawyers. If he is later found competent, the state case can resume, but if he remains unfit, the court can continue treatment and review the matter again at a later date, as per People.
