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The man accused of killing a young woman on a North Carolina light-rail train has been deemed incompetent to stand trial following a mental evaluation, according to newly released court documents.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, is charged in the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska, 23, while aboard the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte on Aug. 22, 2025.
However, a report stemming from Brown’s time as a patient at Central Regional Hospital determined he was “incapable to proceed” in his upcoming criminal trial, according to court documents obtained by Fox News.
Brown, a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia, is currently in federal custody on separate charges relating to the alleged murder.
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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)
Brown’s attorneys have since asked the court to reschedule a hearing scheduled for April 30, noting that any attempt to “restore capacity” regarding his mental state cannot be established while he remains in federal custody.
The request will ultimately delay Brown’s case as he awaits a psychiatric evaluation.
Brown, a parolee with numerous run-ins with the law, reportedly has a history of mental illness, according to family members.
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Booking photo of DeCarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., taken Jan. 20, 2025, following another arrest in Mecklenburg County. Brown’s extensive criminal history has drawn renewed scrutiny after police charged him with Zarutska’s Aug. 22 murder. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office)
By March 2024, authorities had already documented six interactions with Brown, including various welfare checks in response to repeated 911 calls he made, according to The New York Times.
Just one year later, Brown placed a 911 call from Novant Presbyterian Hospital in which he said he needed help removing a “man-made” material that was controlling him, the Charlotte Observer reported.
When officers arrived on scene, they reportedly told him they were unable to help.
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A memorial dedicated to Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 11, 2025. A mural honoring Zarutska in Providence, Rhode Island should be taken down, the city’s mayor said. (Peter Zay/Anadolu)
Brown made similar claims in a jailhouse phone call to his sister just days after Zarutska’s alleged murder.
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In the call obtained by the Daily Mail, Brown said he did not understand why he stabbed the 23-year-old refugee while claiming that the government had implanted “materials” in his brain that were “controlling” his actions.
“They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened,” Brown said. “Whoever was working the materials they lashed out on her. That’s all there is to it. Now they really gotta investigate what my body was exposed to… Now they gotta do an investigation as to who was the motive behind what happened.”
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Surveillance video shows Zarutska entering the train car and sitting down in front of Brown.
Roughly four minutes later, Brown allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed her three times from behind before departing the train.
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Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene, with Brown being taken into custody minutes later on the light rail platform.
Brown is facing both federal and state charges stemming from the alleged attack, and is expected to remain in federal custody as he awaits trial.
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A U.S. magistrate judge previously ordered a second federal psychiatric exam ahead of his pending case, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Brown’s attorney has reportedly asked that his state hearing be postponed for six months, with prosecutors agreeing with the delay.
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Brown’s attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.