CHARLOTTE, N.C. (NCN News) – The man accused of killing Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte last year has been found incompetent to stand trial on federal charges. – for now.
35-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. is facing federal charges in connection with the death of the Ukrainian immigrant. She was stabbed to death on August 22, 2025 on the Lynx Blue Line.
At the request of Brown’s attorneys, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell found that their client is not currently competent to stand trial and ordered him to spend up to four months in a prison medical facility to try to restore his competency.
Defense attorneys said in a court filing Tuesday that Brown insisted that they provide the judge with the following information: “I would like to tell the court I have a body emergency. Someone has full access to my body and they are controlling me wrongfully. And law enforcement refuses to investigate it. And it requires for an investigation. When describing the technology someone was using I was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.”
Prosecutors said they were confident they could restore his mental capacity in a few months with medication.
In speaking to reporters, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson addressed reporters outside the courthouse immediately after the June 9 hearing and expressed confidence that Brown will eventually stand trial, despite Tuesday’s ruling.
“The court found that his prognosis is ‘good’ to be made competent and set a four-month deadline to have that process go forward,” Ferguson said. “The court ordered that he seek treatment and medication.”
A separate state case against Brown in which he is charged with first-degree murder is on pause pending the outcome of the federal case.
The killing prompted the passage a bill known as “Iryna’s Law”, which set out various criminal law reforms, including restricting cashless bail and seeking to resume the death penalty. Republicans called the bill a key move to crack down on violent crime and repeat offenders. Democrats argued the bill would not have prevented Zarutska’s death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report