CHARLOTTE — DeCarlos Brown, the man accused of stabbing Iryna Zarutska to death on a Charlotte light rail train, was found incompetent to stand trial in federal court for charges related to the killing, according to court documents obtained by Channel 9.
Brown was already evaluated to be incompetent to stand trial on North Carolina state charges in the case, according to his defense attorney. New court documents were filed on Thursday in the federal case against Brown, and they outline the process of what’s next.
Brown is still in custody after the deadly stabbing, which happened in August of 2025 on a CATS light rail train in Charlotte’s South End. Since his arrest, there’s been a battle in state and federal courts over whether he has the mental capacity to understand the charges against him and proceed with a trial.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- CMPD releases video showing encounter with suspect before fatal light rail stabbing
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- Defense attorney: DeCarlos Brown ‘incapable to proceed’ on state murder charge
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In April, state court documents indicated that Brown was found “incapable to proceed” on the state murder charge.
On Thursday, federal court documents were filed that say Brown was also found incompetent to proceed on federal charges.
Brown’s defense attorney filed a motion saying that Brown sought help for his mental health before the deadly stabbing, outlining incidents when Brown claimed a “material” in his body was affecting his actions.
Federal court documents say that Brown was taken to a federal facility in Chicago to be evaluated by a licensed clinical psychologist. The evaluator reviewed audio and video of Brown, and interviewed him for hours over several occasions.
On April 14, the evaluator wrote that Brown wasn’t competent to stand trial at that time, but “his prognosis to be restored to competency is good through treatment with medication.”
Brown’s defense and prosecutors asked for a mental health competency hearing so that the court can officially start the process of either restoring Brown’s competency, or civil commitment.
If the court finds Brown incompetent at this moment, he’ll be taken to a federal facility that provides mental treatment to try to restore his competency. Brown would undergo treatment for a maximum of four months, then the court must hold another hearing to see if the case can proceed because his competency has been restored. If Brown is found competent at that point, a trial date will be set. If the court rules that Brown’s competency can’t ever be restored, he would be subject to civil commitment proceedings.
Brown is currently facing the death penalty if convicted in federal court.
This new development doesn’t affect the state murder charge. Brown faces life in prison if convicted on the state charges.
Since the stabbing, CATS has taken action with several security changes, including additional staffing and new camera systems.
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