THE man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a train lashed out in court as a judge ruled he was unfit to stand trial.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, screamed at the judge during a brief hearing on Tuesday and ranted that he was experiencing a “body emergency.”
Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail trainCredit: Reuters
Disturbing surveillance footage showed Decarlos Brown attacking the young womanCredit: Charlotte Area Transit
Footage shows Zarutska’s gutwrenching look of terror after being stabbedCredit: Charlotte Area Transit
He repeatedly interrupted the proceedings, shouting that he had “material” in his body and demanding to press charges against the FBI during the outburst.
Brown also urged the judge to consider a mental health assessment and a letter written by his mother, though the contents of the letter have not been disclosed.
Man stabbed on train by illegal immigrant months after Iryna Zarutska killing
The evaluation remains under seal, but court records show Brown claimed he was wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia and alleged that someone was using technology to control his body.
In one filing, he wrote: “I would like to tell the court I have a body emergency. Someone has full access to my body and they are controlling me wrongfully…”
Whether Brown could face execution depends on whether prosecutors seek the death penalty and whether he is convicted.
Prosecutors did not present any additional evidence during Tuesday’s hearing but he has not yet escaped trial.
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This is the second time that a forensic psychiatrist has found Brown mentally incompetent to stand trial.
He will now receive medication and treatment to try to restore his competency.
If that fails, he may be held under federal commitment laws, which means he could face a future hearing to decide if he will be forced to take medication.
“The court found that his prognosis is ‘good’ to be made competent and set a four-month deadline to have that process go forward,” US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Russ Ferguson, said outside court, according to WBTV.
“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, and this is a step in that process.
The memorial dedicated to slain Iryna Zarutska at the East/West Blvd light rail station in Charlotte, North CarolinaCredit: Getty
Iryna Zarutska was heading back from her job at a pizza restaurant on August 22, 2025Credit: WBTV
“We have to make sure that we have a case that is airtight on appeal, airtight on post-conviction litigation.
“We have to make sure the defendant has all the due process that the Constitution affords him, and this is one step in that process,” he added.
When asked about his outburst, Ferguson also said it “wasn’t entirely clear when he was yelling out.”
He explained, “We’ve seen since the beginning of this case, he says there’s some sort of material that controls him and I think it was related to that. And that plays a little bit of a role in why he was found not competent to stand trial.”
Horrifying video footage showed Iryna being attacked from behind while she was riding a light rail train home from work.
She was seen wearing casual clothing and a hat as she scrolled on her phone, unaware that a madman was lurking behind her.
Iryna died minutes later on the train, while Brown allegedly fled the scene before being arrested.
Multiple 911 calls made by distressed onlookers in the wake of the brutal attack were made public.
One witness told an emergency services handler, “This man just f***ing stabbed this woman for no reason.”
In another call, released by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, a witness begged, “Please hurry, she’s bleeding. She’s bleeding a lot.”
A fundraiser for the pizzeria-worker’s family described how she had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning.”
The murder sparked widespread outrage and calls for harsher punishments and a crackdown on repeat criminal offenders.
Brown had been arrested multiple times and was released from jail on cashless bail just seven months before he slaughtered Iryna.
Following her death, his family revealed he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, adding to his well-documented history of mental illness.
Decarlos Brown Jr.’s criminal history
This is a timeline of Decarlos Brown Jr.’s criminal history since 2011
- 2011-Present: Arrested 14+ times for various crimes such as felony larceny, armed robbery with a dangerous weapon, burglary, shoplifting, assault, making threats/communicating threats, misuse of 911/false emergency calls
- 2020: Sentenced to prison for felony larceny and armed robbery
- 2021: Assaulted his sister shortly after release, causing minor injuries
- January 2025: Arrested for misusing 911 and claiming man-made substances controlled his body
- July 2025: Mental Health evaluation ordered with a schizophrenia diagnosis, but the evaluation was not carried out
The 𝓈𝒽𝓸𝒸𝓀𝒾𝓃𝑔 transit-line murder sparked a major shake-up of North Carolina’s justice system, with lawmakers passing Iryna’s Law in response.
The sweeping legislation cracked down on violent offenders by tightening bail rules, making it harder for suspects accused of serious crimes to be released before trial.
It also introduced mandatory mental health evaluations for certain defendants with recent histories of psychiatric crises.
The bill was approved by the legislature in September 2025 and signed by Governor Josh Stein on October 3, 2025.
North Carolina’s law now includes provisions aimed at restarting executions and allows for alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable, potentially including a firing squad.
However, Stein said he would not authorize the use of firing squads while he remains in office. His term runs until January 2029.
