CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train has been deemed mentally unfit to stand trial at this time. A federal judge ruled on Tuesday that he will receive medical treatment aimed at restoring his competency.
Decarlos Brown Jr., aged 35, faces federal charges for the death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a crime committed on a mass transit system in Charlotte and carrying the possibility of the death penalty. Additionally, he has been charged with first-degree murder under state law, though these proceedings are on hold until the federal case is resolved.
In response to a request from Brown’s legal team, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell determined that Brown is currently not competent to undergo trial. Consequently, the judge ordered that Brown be placed in a prison medical facility for up to four months to work towards restoring his mental fitness.
According to court documents filed by his defense attorneys on Tuesday, Brown requested that they convey a message to the judge: “I would like to tell the court I have a body emergency. Someone has full access to my body, and they are controlling me wrongfully. And law enforcement refuses to investigate it. And it requires for an investigation. When describing the technology someone was using, I was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.”
Brown has instructed his lawyers to seek a court order demanding law enforcement investigate what he describes as a “body emergency.”
A forensic assessment conducted by federal mental health experts was submitted under seal last April. The evaluation concluded that while Brown is not currently competent to stand trial, there is a favorable outlook for restoring his competency with appropriate medication, according to Judge Bell’s order.
Brown “is suffering from a mental disease or defect that renders him unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings or to assist properly in his defense,” Bell wrote.
The judge ordered Brown committed to the custody of the attorney general for hospitalization and treatment “to determine whether there is a substantial probability” that Brown will be able to proceed “in the foreseeable future.”
Once that period is over, the judge will determine whether Brown’s competency has been restored and whether the case can move forward, whether continued treatment is needed or whether Brown cannot be made competent, the judge wrote.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
