An expert has found American DeCarlos Brown, accused of murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in August 2025, mentally unfit to stand trial. His lawyer is asking the court to postpone a key hearing for six months while his client remains in prison custody.
WCNS writes about this.
Brown faces concurrent murder charges in both North Carolina and federal court, which carry the death penalty. Court documents filed April 7 state that Brown was examined at the hospital on December 29, 2025, and found “unfit to stand trial”.
Brownʼs attorney, Daniel Roberts, filed a Rule 24 motion — a procedure used in death penalty cases — to postpone the hearing from April 30 for six months, arguing that Brownʼs continued detention in federal prison would impede his ability to stand trial, as required by state law.
Legal experts say that declaring a defendant incapable of “taking part in legal proceedings” is not uncommon in cases involving serious mental health issues. However, this does not mean that the defendant will be released.
Attorney Tim Cannady says defendants in such situations are usually placed in a secure psychiatric facility where doctors can try to restore their capacity through treatment.
Meanwhile, federal authorities are conducting their own competency assessment, which could further impact the speed of the case. With Brownʼs competency currently in question and his case split between state and federal court, no trial date has yet been set in either jurisdiction.
What is known about the murder of Iryna Zarutska
On August 22, Iryna Zarutska, a refugee from Ukraine, was brutally murdered at a light rail station in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Iryna Zarutska / Facebook
The suspect, 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, was arrested shortly after police arrived on the scene. He faces the death penalty. Police said Brown, who is homeless, has a long criminal history, having been arrested multiple times since 2011.
The US President Donald Trump promised on September 9 to "find out everything" about the murder of Iryna Zarutska and said he was demanding the death penalty for the attacker.
A video of the murder appeared online, showing the girl entering the subway car and sitting in front of the suspect. The man then pulled out a knife and stabbed the Ukrainian woman several times.
The suspectʼs sister, Tracy Brown, shared a recording of the conversation with the Daily Mail, which took place six days after her brother was arrested. He claimed that "the government implanted alien materials in his brain" that controlled his actions. He admitted that he killed Iryna Zarutska because she "read his mind."
American billionaire Elon Musk reported on September 10 that he would allocate a million dollars to create murals depicting Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska, who was murdered in the United States.
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