Man Accused of Stabbing Iryna Zarutska Aboard a North Carolina Light Rail Train Declared Unfit to Stand Trial by Doctors
Update
04/08/2026
The homeless man accused of murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a North Carolina light rail train has reportedly been declared mentally unfit to stand trial.
According to a motion filed on April 7 by the attorneys for the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of stabbing Iryna Zarutska aboard a North Carolina train, a state psychiatric facility indicated in a December 2025 report that Brown was “unfit to stand trial.” The case cannot proceed until a judge determines that Brown’s mental capacity has been “restored.”
Brown was arrested on Friday, August 22, 2025, after allegedly fatally stabbing 23-year-old Zarutska on a Lynx Blue Line train in Charlotte. The artist had emigrated from Kyiv to the United States with her mother, sister, and brother “to escape the war, and quickly adapted to her new life in America.” Her family decided to bury Zarutska in the United States because she “loved America.”
At 9:55 p.m., Zarutska was captured on video sitting in an aisle seat, directly in front of a man who “pulled a knife from his pocket, unfolded it, paused, stood up, and attacked the victim three times.”
The video shows blood dripping onto the floor as the accused walks away from the victim. Zarutska lost consciousness shortly after the attack and was later pronounced dead at the scene. A witness provided authorities with Brown’s location.
Brown was initially charged on August 28, 2025, with first-degree murder in connection with the brazen attack.
Subsequently, Brown was charged with a federal crime: committing an act resulting in death on a public transportation system, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Consequently, the prosecution is seeking the death penalty. Brown’s public defender will request a hearing within 180 days to determine whether the death penalty will be sought.
Brown has a criminal record dating back to 2007. In 2014, he was arrested on charges of armed robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was convicted and served just over five years in prison before being released on parole in September 2020.
His most recent arrest before Zarutska’s murder was in January 2025, when he was arrested for alleged misuse of 911. He spent two days in jail before being released on a written promise to appear in court. On July 28, a judge ordered Brown to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after his public defender questioned his mental capacity in a motion.
Ukrainian Refugee Stabbed to Death on North Carolina Train
Release Date
09/14/2025
Ukrainian refugee, 23, who fled war for safer life in US knifed to death by homeless career criminal in North Carolina.
A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who recently fled her war-torn home for a safer life in the US was knifed to death by a homeless career criminal at a North Carolina train station last week, according to family members and authorities.
Iryna Zarutska suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in South End, Charlotte just before 10 p.m. Friday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said Saturday.
Zarutska had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning,” according to a GoFundMe page set up to fundraise for the young woman’s aunt and other family members during the “heartbreaking time.”
Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon… This is an irreparable loss for her family,” the statement read.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was identified as the suspect and transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries Friday night. He has since been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, cops said.
Brown has been arrested a slew of times since 2011 for felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and communicating threats, according to court records.
