Suspect in Iryna Zarutska murder case deemed incompetent to stand trial

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The man accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old woman on a Charlotte, N.C., light rail train has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial, and his defense attorney is asking the court to delay a key hearing for six months while he remains in federal custody.

Court documents filed April 7 in Mecklenburg County Superior Court show that Decarlos Brown was evaluated at Central Regional Hospital and found “incapable to proceed” in a report generated Dec. 29, 2025. Brown faces state murder charges and a federal indictment carrying the possibility of the death penalty.

Brown, 35, was charged with murder on Aug. 23, 2025, one day after the killing of Iryna Zarutska on the CATS Blue Line.

Zarutska had fled war-torn Ukraine seeking safety and was working at a Charlotte pizzeria while attending community college to improve her English. She was minutes from home when she was killed. Her family called her death “tragic and preventable.”

Brown’s attorney, Daniel Roberts, filed a motion to continue a Rule 24 hearing — a proceeding used in capital-eligible cases — that had been scheduled for April 30. The motion requests the hearing be pushed back 180 days, citing Brown’s federal custody as a barrier to conducting the competency-related proceedings required under state law. The state has consented to the continuance.

“A capacity hearing is a ‘critical stage’ hearing that cannot currently take place while the defendant remains in federal custody for the parallel federal proceedings,” the motion states.

It further notes that even if the court were to accept the hospital’s findings, any efforts to restore Brown’s competency could not be carried out while he is held federally.

Brown was indicted on first-degree murder charges in Mecklenburg County Superior Court in September. A federal grand jury separately indicted him in October on charges of violence against a mass transportation system resulting in death — a charge that carries special findings making him eligible for the death penalty. 

Prosecutors allege Brown intentionally killed Zarutska and acted with “reckless disregard for human life.”

Legal experts said the designation of “incapable to proceed” is not uncommon in cases involving serious mental health concerns and it does not mean a defendant will be released.

“If the hospital finds that you can’t understand the proceedings … and you can’t assist your lawyer in providing for your defense, then what they rule is that you are incapable to proceed,” said attorney Tim Cannady.

Cannady, who is not involved in the case, said defendants in those situations are typically placed in a secure mental health facility, where doctors may attempt to restore their competency through treatment.

“I would imagine that he is eventually sent to some hospital or mental health institution in an attempt to either restore that capacity,” Cannady said. “Or they can hold him for the maximum amount” allowed under state law.

In the meantime, federal authorities are conducting their own competency evaluation, which could further affect how quickly the case moves forward.

For Zarutska’s family, the latest development adds another layer of uncertainty to an already high-profile case that drew national attention.

“We have to let the justice system play out,” said Lauren Newton, the family’s attorney. “The wheels of justice unfortunately move slow, but the family wants to make sure this is done right.”

Newton said that regardless of what happens on the criminal side, the family still has other legal options ahead.

“Regardless of what happens on the criminal side we always have the civil justice system, and that’s my role,” she said.

An estate has recently been opened for Zarutska, a necessary step before filing a wrongful death lawsuit. Newton said that case could target anyone believed to have contributed to the circumstances surrounding the killing.

Even as legal proceedings continue, Newton said the family remains focused on preserving Zarutska’s memory.

“Folks still trying to keep her memory alive is important to the family,” Newton said, pointing to murals and memorial efforts across Charlotte.

For now, the state case remains on hold, with the Rule 24 hearing delayed and no clear timeline for when Brown could return to state custody. Meanwhile, both the federal case and competency evaluations continue to move forward on a separate track.

Brown has 14 prior court cases in Mecklenburg County and was sentenced to six years in prison in 2015 for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering and larceny.

The case drew national attention after President Donald Trump referenced it publicly on multiple occasions in the fall of 2025, sparking debate about public safety and the criminal justice system. North Carolina Republicans subsequently called for the removal of a judge who had allowed Brown’s release on bond for a misdemeanor charge in January 2025.

With Brown’s competency now in question and his case bifurcated between state and federal courts, no trial date has been set in either jurisdiction.