Man Accused of Stabbing Iryna Zarutska Aboard N.C. Light Rail Train Deemed Incompetent to Stand Trial by Doctors

Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, cannot go to trial until a judge rules his mental capacity has been “restored”

A man accused in a high-profile transit case in North Carolina has been deemed not competent to stand trial, according to medical evaluations cited in reports. The determination means legal proceedings may be delayed while further assessments or treatment take place.

According to an April 7 motion filed by attorneys for suspect Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, a state psychiatric facility said in a Dec. 2025 report that found Brown was “incapable to proceed to trial,” The Assembly reports.

The case cannot proceed until a judge decides that Brown’s mental capacity has been “restored,” The Charlotte Observer, WRAL and WBTV report.

Brown was arrested on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, after allegedly stabbing Zarutska, 23, to death on a Lynx Blue Line train in Charlotte.

That night, at 9:55 p.m., Zarutska was seen on video sitting in an aisle seat directly in front of a man who “pulls a knife out of his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times,” according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.

“Blood visibly drips on the floor as the defendant walks away from the victim. The victim goes unresponsive shortly after the attack,” the affidavit states, per CNN.

Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene, and a witness told authorities Brown’s location, the affidavit said, per ABC News.

Brown was initially charged on Aug. 28, 2025, with first-degree murder in connection with the brazen attack.

Brown was then charged with a federal crime — committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, the Justice Department said in a statement.

As a result, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

According to WBTV, Brown’s public defender is seeking a hearing in 180 days to determine whether the death penalty will be sought.

The attack, which was caught on video, made national headlines.

“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life. Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most — Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said in a statement at the time.

Ferguson called the attack a “terroristic act” during a press conference at the time.

Brown has a criminal history dating back to 2007, according to WBTV.

In 2014, he was arrested on charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was convicted and served just over five years in prison before he was released and placed on parole in September 2020.

His most recent arrest before Zarutska’s slaying was in January 2025, when he was arrested for allegedly misusing 911. He spent two days in jail before being released on a written promise to appear, per WBTV. On July 28, a judge ordered Brown to get a forensic evaluation after Brown’s public defender questioned Brown’s capacity in a motion.

Before the artist was fatally stabbed, she emigrated from Kyiv to the U.S. with her mother, sister and brother “to escape the war, and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States,” according to her obituary.

Her family opted to bury Zarutska in the U.S. because she “loved America,” the FBI’s James Barnacle told reporters, per WBTV.