Image Credit: x screenshot 
The man accused of brutally murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was found too incompetent to face state murder charges.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for homeless recidivist DeCarlos Brown Jr., 35 – who’s facing state and federal murder charges after last year’s killing of Zarutska, 23, on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina – said his client was deemed incapable of appearing for a Rule 24 hearing on April 30, where prosecutors would have revealed whether they planned to seek the death penalty.
A capacity evaluation conducted on Dec. 29 found Brown did not meet state law requirements to stand trial, which include,
- understand the nature of their charges
- comprehend their role in court proceedings
- help their defense in a “rational and reasonable manner.”
The Charlotte Observer reports Brown’s lawyer has asked for a six month pause on the Rule 24 hearing, to which Mecklenburg District Attorney prosecutors agreed.
The heinous nature of Zarutska’s vicious murder, captured on light rail surveillance video, shocked the nation, with President Donald Trump calling for Brown to face the death penalty, which has essentially been blocked in the state since 2006.
BREAKING: DeCarlos Brown Jr. found incompetent to stand trial in Charlotte light rail stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee
— The Facts Dude 🤙🏽 (@Thefactsdude) April 8, 2026
DeCarlos Brown Jr., 35, has been ruled incompetent to proceed on the state murder charge in the August 2025 stabbing death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a… pic.twitter.com/rANTUZyAz1
President Trump addressed Zarutska’s killing during his 2026 State Of The Union address in February, recognizing her mother in the audience and vowing justice for her daughter.
Trump addresses the brutal stabbing murder of Iryna Zarutska with her mom present in Congress pic.twitter.com/7KEyc9J45s
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) February 25, 2026
Brown “will remain in federal custody while his federal murder charge is pending, Roberts said in the motion,” the Observer reports, adding, “A U.S. magistrate judge previously ordered a second federal psychiatric exam for Brown’s federal case.”
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