Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of brutally murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, on a Charlotte train last August, has been found incompetent to stand federal trial. A judge has ordered that Brown, 35, be treated and hospitalized for four months before being re-evaluated. The ruling comes after Brown was found incompetent for North Carolina court in April. Zarutska was stabbed from behind during her regular commute to work. The video footage ignited national outrage over the senseless murder, catching the attention of President Trump, who recognized Zarutska during his State of the Union speech last February.
Brown has an extensive criminal history of armed robberies and assaults, with a record of at least 14 prior arrests dating back to 2007.
Decarlos Brown was arrested 14 times before murdering Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail.
— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) June 9, 2026
Each time, judges declared him ‘competent’ and released him.
Now he’s been ruled incompetent to stand trial in federal court.
Hold the officials who kept freeing him accountable. pic.twitter.com/fkgvFY0Cdu
DeCarlos Brown after killing Iryna: "I got the white girl"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 9, 2026
He was just deemed "unfit for trial" pic.twitter.com/uAi9yP6MJf
Just so everyone understands what just happened in Charlotte NC today:
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) June 9, 2026
Decarlos Brown Jr, a 14x arrested violent offender:
>M*rders Iryna Zarutska on video
>Says "I GOT THAT WHITE GIRL"
>Evaluated for mental competency
>Found "incapable to proceed" on the federal m*rder charge… pic.twitter.com/IaTqTi82KL
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson told the public that Brown will remain in custody during the duration of his treatment. In an address to reporters, Ferguson said he is confident that Brown will eventually stand trial, saying that the hearing found his prognosis for restoration is "very good."
Brown has reportedly been having "outbursts" since the start of his hearings. Ferguson described the outbursts, saying, “We’ve seen since the beginning of this case that 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.”
During the press conference following the hearing, Ferguson explained to reporters that the accused must be able to "understand the proceedings and assist in his defense."
The case is delayed while Brown undergoes further hospitalization while in custody.