The man accused of killing a young woman on a North Carolina light-rail train has been deemed incompetent to stand trial in his federal case following a mental evaluation.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, is charged in the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska, 23, while aboard the light-rail Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte on Aug. 22, 2025. In Tuesday’s brief hearing, which lasted approximately 15 minutes, Brown had a few outbursts, yelling that he would be “pressing charges.”
Brown is expected to be committed to a special facility under the direction of the U.S. attorney general for treatment aimed at restoring competency. If he is later found competent, the federal case could resume.
“Let me be clear, he will be in custody that whole time. Mr Brown is in federal custody now and will remain in federal custody until trial,” Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said following the hearing. “For us, our number one goal here is justice for Iryna Zarutska and Iryna Zarutska’s family. That’s what’s on the top of our minds and our hearts every day.”
Brown could face the death penalty if the federal case proceeds. However, a defendant who is found incompetent cannot be tried or executed while incompetent.
Ferguson explained that Brown would be assigned a medical doctor who will evaluate him.
“I’m very hopeful to have his capacity restored,” he said. “The doctor that examined him for the competency hearing today found that his prognosis for restoration is very good. So I rely on the doctors here, and I think that his prognosis is good, and we will see him stand trial.”
Brown was federally indicted on a charge of committing an act of violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death. The hearing comes after a Bureau of Prisons evaluation also found on May 7 that Brown was incompetent to stand trial for his state charges.
The finding followed what officials described as a lengthy process that included interviews and a review of medical records.
Brown, a parolee with multiple documented run-ins with the law, has a long reported history of mental illness, according to family members.
By March 2024, authorities had logged six prior encounters with Brown, including multiple welfare checks triggered by his repeated 911 calls, according to The New York Times.
Just a year later, Brown called 911 from Novant Presbyterian Hospital, saying he needed help removing a “man-made” material he claimed was controlling him, the Charlotte Observer reported.
When officers arrived on scene, they reportedly told him they were unable to help.
In a jailhouse phone call to his sister just days after Zarutska’s alleged killing, Brown made similar claims regarding “man-made” material controlling his mind.
Brown said he did not understand why he stabbed the 23-year-old refugee and claimed the government had implanted “materials” in his brain that were controlling his actions, in the call obtained by the Daily Mail.
“They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened,” Brown said. “Whoever was working the materials they lashed out on her. That’s all there is to it. Now they really gotta investigate what my body was exposed to… Now they gotta do an investigation as to who was the motive behind what happened.”
Brown is accused of murdering Zarutska on the Charlotte train. Surveillance video shows Zarutska entering the train car and sitting down in front of Brown.
Roughly four minutes later, Brown allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed her three times from behind before departing the train.
Fox News Digital’s Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.
