Tipsheet

Iryna Zarutska's Killer Deemed 'Incapable to Proceed' in State Murder Trial

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  April 08, 2026 4:15 PM

DeCarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of brutally murdering 23-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska on her way home from work on a Charlotte light rail last year, has been deemed “incapable to proceed” on state murder charges.

From the New York Post:

According to a motion filed April 7, Decarlos Brown Jr. was evaluated Dec. 29 at Central Regional Hospital, and the subsequent report determined he was not competent to stand trial, according to WBTV.

A judge must now determine whether to accept the report’s findings, and the case against him will likely be delayed until his capacity is determined to be “restored” by the court, the station reported.

Brown, who has a documented history of schizophrenia, had been taken into custody at least 14 times across North Carolina on charges from illegal firearm possession to felony robbery and assault. At the time of Iryna’s killing, he had been released on cashless bail after a magistrate allowed him to walk free on a written commitment to return to court, stemming from a false 911 report.

President Trump has publicly called for Brown to face the death penalty.