Man accused of stabbing woman on North Carolina train found incompetent to stand trial

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (TCN) — A man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee while on board a light-rail train has been found incompetent to stand trial on the state murder charge brought against him.

According to the Charlotte Observer, Iryna Zarutska, 23, was killed on Aug. 22, 2025, while riding on a public transit train in Charlotte, North Carolina. WBTV reported at the time that she was stabbed in the throat with a pocketknife and pronounced dead at the scene. Decarlos Brown Jr., now 35, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation.

Court documents dated Dec. 29, 2025, and obtained by WRAL state that Brown was evaluated at a hospital and found incapable to proceed. Brown is facing both federal and state charges and will remain in federal custody while that charge is pending. People reports Brown was charged with a federal crime, committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, and that is why prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

A motion filed by his public defender will ask the judge to delay the hearing in which prosecutors say whether they plan to seek the death penalty in the case.

The New York Post reports Brown has been ordered to undergo a similar competency evaluation for his federal case. 

Brown has suffered from mental health issues and has been arrested more than a dozen times. The New York Post reports that at the time Zarutska was attacked, Brown was out on cashless bail for placing a fake 911 call. An affidavit states Brown had allegedly told police during a welfare check that his body contained a man-made substance that controlled his actions, according to the New York Post.

The Charlotte Observer reports Brown was homeless and told police at the time that he had schizophrenia.

According to the Observer, Zarutska had moved to the United States from Ukraine as a refugee three years prior. Shortly before she was killed, she had started saving up for a trip to Miami with her boyfriend. In a final text exchange with a family member, she said she was excited about an upcoming driver’s test. 

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