'INCAPABLE TO PROCEED'
The man who stabbed Iryna Zarutska gets a huge break in his state murder trial
Iryna Zarutska Stabber Gets Gifted A Lifeline In State Court
DeCarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in North Carolina, has been deemed mentally incapable of proceeding to trial in the state murder case.Brown was evaluated at Central Regional Hospital, and a December 29, 2025, report found him “incapable to proceed,” according to court documents.Under North Carolina law, incapacity to proceed involved a court determination of a defendant’s ability to understand the proceedings and assist in their defense. A defendant who is incapable of proceeding in a criminal case cannot be tried or punished by the state, according to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.On August 22, 2025, Zarutska, 23, was riding the LYNX Blue Line in Charlotte, looking at her phone, when Brown allegedly jumped from his seat, wielding a knife and slashing her multiple times in the neck.The case sparked international outrage over the blue city’s public safety policies and Brown’s lengthy rap sheet, which includes 14 previous arrests for offenses such as armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, The Daily...
