The killer of Iryna Zarutska was found incompetent to stand trial today by a federal judge, but this is not the end of the line for Decarlos Brown Jr.
The judge believes Brown can be rehabilitated to the point where he can competently stand trial and pay for his crimes. But even if that doesn’t happen, he still could be held in custody under federal law because he is a threat to public safety.
Here’s the news via the New York Post:
The madman accused of slaughtering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in North Carolina screamed at the judge on Tuesday as he was ruled not fit to stand trial for a second time.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, ranted about having “material in his body” and experiencing a “body emergency” during the brief hearing at the federal courthouse in Charlotte, Queen City News reported.
He also shouted about wanting to press charges against the FBI and asked the judge whether he had reviewed his evaluation and a letter from his mother, the outlet reported.
Brown is facing federal and state charges in the shocking August 2025 stabbing death of Zarutska, 23, on board a Charlotte Blue Line light rail, in a case that drew global attention.
The suspected killer will now receive medication and treatment for up to four months to try to restore his competency.
If Brown does not become competent, he could be held in custody under federal commitment laws, and a later court hearing could determine whether he can be forcibly medicated.
He was previously evaluated at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago through the Bureau of Prisons, where mental health evaluators spent hours meeting with Brown in person and reviewing audio and video recordings of him before making their recommendation.
Prosecutors, including the Assistant US Attorney, did not present any additional evidence during Tuesday morning’s 15-minute hearing.
Federal authorities insisted that this is not the end of the fight to bring Zarutska’s alleged killer to trial eventually.
“The court found that his prognosis is ‘good’ to be made competent and set a four-month deadline to have that process go forward,” US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson said outside court on Tuesday, as reported by WBTV.
“The court ordered that he seek treatment and medication,” Ferguson said, adding that Brown will remain in federal custody throughout his treatment, which will be conducted in person by a doctor over several meetings.