The suspect behind the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on a North Carolina train, has been found “incapable to proceed” to trial.
In a motion that was filed on Tuesday, it was revealed that Decarlos Brown Jr. — the man who was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after Zarutska’s death, had undergone an evaluation at Central Regional Hospital, WBTV News reported.
Brown was found to be “incapable to proceed,” a report from December 29, 2025 said, according to the outlet.
Per the outlet, “Brown’s public defender is asking the court to continue the case,” and the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office “agreed” that the case should be continued:
In the court motion filed Tuesday, Brown’s attorney claimed that the court required capacity hearing cannot take place as long as Brown remains in federal custody. The attorney also argued that the court can’t order to restore Brown’s capacity while he’s in federal custody.
According to the court filing, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office agreed with the case being continued.
Brown has also been ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination as part of his federal court case. However, court filings from March 6 indicate the examination isn’t completed and the evaluation period has been extended.
After Zarutska’s death, North Carolina lawmakers passed Iryna’s Law, which aimed to eliminate cashless bail for some violent crimes. In October, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) signed Iryna’s Law into law.
Breitbart News’s Nick Gilbertson reported in September that Brown had been arrested earlier in the year, but he was “released without bail.” Brown’s release came despite him having roughly “14 previously criminal charges on his rap sheet” such as charges for armed robbery and felony larceny”:
Brown Jr. had been arrested earlier this year but was released without bail by a liberal judge, as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted on Tuesday. This was despite Brown having had 14 previous criminal charges on his rap sheet, which include charges of armed robbery, felony larceny, and breaking and entering over the last 14 years. He was also imprisoned for five years stemming from a robbery with a deadly weapon charge.
Several people took to social media to point out that if Brown was “competent enough to target a woman and murder her,” then he was “competent enough to stand trial.”
“If you’re competent enough to target a woman and murder her, you’re competent enough to stand trial, be found guilty, and receive the death penalty,” conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey wrote in a post on X.
“The purpose of a system is what it does,” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller wrote in a post on X.
“I’m so sick of insanity being used as an excuse to let violent animals prey on innocent people,” another person wrote. “So fine. If you’re legit this crazy, that’s an admission that you cannot be rehabilitated, you can never be trusted in public, and you should be put down.
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