Video: DeCarlos Brown murdered Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train, a mental test ruled that he is too crazy to move forward with criminal trial. So all you have to do is play crazy to get a free pass for murder?
In April 2026 it was announced in court documents that DeCarlos Brown, 35, has been found incapable to proceed on a state murder charge after he stabbed Iryna Zarutska, 23, to death on a CATS Blue Line Light Rail train in Charlotte, NC. Video of the murder and a jail call of the encounter is seen in video below. Charlotte Alerts is on Instagram.
Decarlos was a trouble maker, he has schizophrenia and other serious mental health issues. He faces both state and federal murder charges.
Decarlos murdered Iryna in August 2025 on a light rail train. Iryna had just came to the United States from Ukraine, escaping the Russian war invasion on the country.
Iryna worked at a small restaurant and had just got off of work. She boarded the train to get to her apartment. Decarlos was already on the train wearing a red hoodie sitting behind Iryna.
Without provocation Decarlos stands up and stabs Iryna in the neck with a knife and then walks off as if nothing happened.
Iryna looks up in shock and fear, she then falls to the ground and begins to bleed. Iryna dies within seconds. Blood poured onto the train from Iryna’s neck. Other passengers rushed to help Iryna.
Decarlos drips blood as he walks to the other side of the train. Passengers run away from him. Decarlos exits the train and was quickly arrested after 911 was called.
Decarlos was charged with murder. His sister called him from jail and recorded the conversation where Decarlos is claiming some unknown foreign material made him kill Iryna.
In December 2025 Decarlos took a mental capacity evaluation at Central Regional Hospital. The practitioner of the mental exam concluded that Decarlos was not competent to stand trial.
The attorneys of Decarlos then filed those findings in a motion to dismiss his criminal charges in April 2026. Now a judge will review that motion and the mental evaluation to determine if the murder charge on Decarlos will be dismissed.
Under state law, a defendant is capable to proceed if they can understand the nature of their charges, comprehend their role in court proceedings, and help their defense in a rational and reasonable manner.
A U.S. magistrate judge previously ordered a second federal psychiatric exam for Brown’s federal case.
