A homeless man accused of fatally stabbing a young woman on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last year, was deemed incompetent to stand trial in a report dated December 2025.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 25, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska. During a ride on the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) light rail train on August 22, 2025, Brown is seen unprovokedly attacking the woman from behind.
Found Incompetent
In a filing on Tuesday, Brown’s attorneys requested that the preliminary incompetence hearing scheduled for this month be delayed 180 days due to his evaluation report at Central Regional Hospital, where he was deemed “incapable to proceed.”
The filing also says that after Brown was deemed incompetent on December 29, 2025, he was taken into federal custody and later on indicted on a federal charge of causing death on a mass transportation system. If convicted of the charge, he will face a potential death sentence.
Brown’s attorneys stated that since he is in federal custody, orders to “restore capacity” cannot be effectuated. He will remain in prison on those charges, so there is no cause for public concern, his Attorney Daniel Roberts, said. According to the filing, prosecutors have already agreed to delay the proceeding because of the circumstances.
Judge to Decide
A judge must determine whether the report’s findings are acceptable and whether they approve the requested delay until Brown’s capacity can be “restored,” which cannot happen while the accused is held in federal custody.
If the judge finds Brown incompetent according to the report, state law mandates that the charges be dismissed, but if they are dismissed without prejudice, the state murder charges may be refiled later on.
Fatal Transit Ride
Brown was indicted on federal charges in Chicago on October 22, 2025, for violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system, causing death. He is ordered to undergo a separate psychiatric evaluation in connection with the federal case, but it has not been completed at this time.
Video footage from inside the CATS train on August 22, 2025, shows the devastating incident where Zarutska lost her life. The young woman sat down in front of Brown, and minutes later, without any interaction or provocation, the defendant pulled out a pocket knife and slashed Zarutska’s neck.
She looked around in horror at what had just happened. Everyone around her minded their own business and failed to check on her after witnessing the murder. Meanwhile, Brown is walking around the Lynx Blue Line train with blood dripping from him, not a care in the world about what he had just done.
Brown was quickly apprehended at the scene and taken into custody, but unfortunately for Zarutska, it was too late for anyone to save her. Murals of the beautiful young woman were painted across the country, in a range of styles and media, to honor her life and remember her face.
History of Violence
Brown has a history of violence and criminal convictions, including robbery with a dangerous weapon. The Post reported that Brown’s mother said he is diagnosed schizophrenic and has been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina since 2007 for offenses ranging from assault and firearm possession to felony robbery.
Brown was out on cashless bail at the time of the murder after a magistrate allowed him to walk free with a “written promise” to appear for a court hearing later for placing a fake 911 call. If he had been held on bail, then the senseless and horrific actions of Brown against the unsuspecting woman would never have taken place.
