Man accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska found incapable to stand trial
The man accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train in August 2025 has been found incapable of standing trial, according to court reports.
Zarutska, who fled Ukraine with her family following the Russian invasion, had been living in North Carolina since 2022. On August 22, 2025, she was attacked aboard a Charlotte Area Transit System Blue Line train near Scaleybark station, where prosecutors say she was stabbed multiple times by a man identified as Decarlos Brown. She later died from her injuries despite attempts by passengers to assist her.
Brown was initially charged with first-degree murder, but a recent court motion states that a psychological evaluation conducted at Central Regional Hospital found him not competent to proceed. A judge has yet to rule on whether to accept those findings. His defense team has requested a delay in proceedings as questions remain over his mental health treatment and potential restoration of competency.
The case has drawn renewed attention to broader concerns around mental health care capacity and delays in restoring defendants to competency in North Carolina, where officials say limited hospital space can result in extended waiting periods for treatment.
