EXCLUSIVE – As former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper embarks on a campaign for the U.S. Senate, the tragic murder of a young woman on a Charlotte light-rail train has reignited scrutiny over a prison-release agreement approved during his tenure. Questions are swirling about whether the accused killer was among those released under this deal.
Republican officials have raised alarms, citing records that suggest DeCarlos Brown Jr., who has been charged with the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, may have been released as part of a 2021 settlement. This agreement, which was intended to address COVID-19 concerns in state prisons, facilitated the early release or reentry of approximately 3,500 inmates.
The prosecution in Zarutska’s case claims that Brown, a habitual offender with a lengthy criminal past, was under state supervision when he allegedly committed the murder on the Charlotte light-rail train. This incident has brought renewed attention to the release deal, especially in light of records obtained by Fox News Digital. These documents, shared by Republican officials, seem to connect Brown to the controversial 2021 agreement.
The settlement in question was negotiated between Cooper’s administration and civil-rights organizations, aiming to alleviate COVID-related pressures within prisons. According to the records, offender identification numbers linked to the NAACP v. Cooper settlement include a crucial eligibility cutoff date of February 15, 2021. Notably, one of these identification numbers is reportedly associated with Brown, as per the documents reviewed.
Iryna Zarutska’s tragic encounter is captured in a haunting image, showing her in a moment of vulnerability as her assailant looms above her. This visual, provided by NewsNation via the Charlotte Area Transit System, underscores the gravity of the incident and the ensuing debate over the prison-release program.
The records reference offender identification numbers tied to the NAACP v. Cooper settlement and include the Feb. 15, 2021 eligibility cutoff date, a key benchmark outlined in the agreement for determining which inmates qualified for early release or transition. One of the offender identification numbers listed corresponds to Brown, according to the records reviewed.
State officials have not publicly confirmed whether Brown was ultimately released or transitioned under the settlement, and no public list of the 3,500 inmates affected by the agreement has ever been released.
Cooper’s campaign disputed the allegations and said Brown was not released as part of the settlement, while defending Cooper’s record on public safety.
“These attacks are false,” a Cooper campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Roy Cooper is the only candidate who spent his career prosecuting violent criminals and keeping thousands of them behind bars as attorney general, and signing tough on crime laws and stricter pretrial release bail policy as governor.”
Following Zarutska’s murder, North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger said the records raised serious transparency concerns and demanded access to the prison-release list, arguing voters deserve to know who was freed under policies adopted during Cooper’s administration.
Iryna Zarutska curls up in fear as a man looms over her during a disturbing attack on a Charlotte, N.C. light rail train. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
“As governor, Roy Cooper let thousands of criminals out early and hid his actions from the public,” Berger said. “DeCarlos Brown Jr., who is now on trial for murder, appeared on a settlement-related list. North Carolinians have a right to know who was released and why.”
North Carolina GOP Chairman Michael Whatley echoed those criticisms, placing direct blame on Cooper for the prison-release policies highlighted in the records.
“Roy Cooper released repeat offender DeCarlos Brown Jr. from prison, who went on to brutally murder Iryna Zarutska aboard the Charlotte light rail this past summer,” Whatley said. “Cooper lied. He said the 3,500 inmates he released from prison weren’t violent. Then he tried to hide the truth from the public.
Republican Michael Whatley, left; Democrat Roy Cooper, right. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images; Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“Cooper is responsible for the death of Iryna Zarutska. He is a pro-criminal, anti-victim politician who will do anything to appease the radical Left even if it means putting North Carolinians at risk and our communities in danger. He has disqualified himself from serving in public office.”
Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., also cited the records and the Zarutska case as evidence of what he described as systemic failures in North Carolina’s criminal justice policies.
“North Carolina’s pro-crime Democrats have a shameful history of prioritizing criminals over victims through radical policies like former Governor Roy Cooper’s DEI reforms and cashless bail that freed dangerous repeat offenders,” Harris said.
“Iryna Zarutska was brutally stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail by a career criminal released on a mere written promise despite his violent history — exposing how broken these soft-on-crime failures truly are,” he added. “Yet North Carolina Democrats try to bury her story and others like it, hoping we’ll forget. Let me be clear: Iryna Zarutska and every victim of Cooper and Stein’s dangerous policies will never be forgotten — we demand justice and real accountability.”
The settlement authorized the early release or transition of 3,500 incarcerated individuals, a move Republican officials have described as one of the largest mass prisoner releases in the country. At the time, Cooper’s administration emphasized that the releases would focus on non-violent offenders, though officials later acknowledged that individuals convicted of violent crimes were also included.
Court records show some inmates released during the period had extensive felony histories, including crimes involving assault, sexual offenses, kidnapping and offenses against children.
Despite repeated requests from lawmakers, the state has never released a public list identifying which inmates were released or transitioned under the agreement.
Oversight of prison releases now falls under the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, which was split from the Department of Public Safety following a restructuring, DPS officials confirmed.
Republican lawmakers argue the secrecy surrounding the releases has prevented public accountability and raised serious public-safety concerns.
Scrutiny of Cooper’s criminal justice record has intensified further following a separate deadly case involving Juan Alvarado Aguilar, an illegal immigrant accused of killing two North Carolina teenagers in an alleged DUI crash.
Court records show Aguilar had a lengthy criminal history spanning nearly two decades, including repeated failures to appear in court and multiple charges that were ultimately dismissed while Cooper served as attorney general and later as governor.
Aguilar was charged with driving while impaired in Cabarrus County in 2020, during Cooper’s governorship, but failed to appear in court in 2022, according to court records. A warrant was issued, but records show no enforcement action was taken prior to the fatal crash.
Fletcher Harris and Skylar Provenza are shown in a photo at left, alongside a booking photo of Juan Alvarado Aguilar, who authorities said was involved in a DUI crash that killed the pair. (Instagram/ skylar_provenza/Rowan County Sheriff’s Office)
Earlier cases against Aguilar were dismissed years after his failures to appear. In July 2017, two Mecklenburg County charges stemming from a 2008 case were dropped by prosecutors for what court records describe as “inventory control and judicial efficiency,” during Cooper’s tenure as governor.
Additional charges filed against Aguilar in Wake County in 2003 and 2004 were dismissed in June 2019 as part of a “mass dismissal project” overseen by the Wake County District Attorney’s Office. The initiative occurred while Cooper was governor and under the supervision of then-Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, a Cooper appointee.
Both Mecklenburg and Wake counties have been identified by critics as so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions — a designation Republican lawmakers say limited cooperation with federal immigration authorities during Cooper’s time in office. Cooper also vetoed multiple pieces of legislation that would have required greater cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.
North Carolina House Speaker Destin Hall also blamed Cooper and Democratic leadership for what he described as failures on public safety, pointing specifically to vetoes of legislation aimed at immigration enforcement.
“When it comes to public safety, North Carolina Democrats have utterly failed our communities,” Hall said. “Former Governor Cooper vetoed legislation that would have required local officials to help remove criminal illegal aliens off our streets not once, not twice, but three times.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks at a press conference in Charlotte, N.C., on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, regarding the shooting that killed several officers and wounded others during an attempt to serve a warrant on Monday. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
The National Republican Senatorial Committee tied the cases directly to Cooper’s Senate campaign.
“Roy Cooper spent nearly 40 years in elected office coddling criminals and protecting dangerous illegals, including this repeat offender,” said Nick Puglia, regional press secretary for the NRSC. “Innocents like Iryna Zarutska paid the price, and now two young North Carolinians’ lives have been ripped away too. Cooper’s deadly soft-on-crime policies have made North Carolina less safe.”
Cooper, who is now running for the U.S. Senate, has highlighted his record as attorney general as tough on violent crime. Critics argue the prison-release settlement and the cases involving Brown and Aguilar tell a different story, one they say voters deserve full transparency about before Election Day.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction and civil-rights groups involved in the settlement for comment.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
