Man accused of killing Ukrainian woman on North Carolina train found incompetent to stand trial

U.S. newsMan accused of killing Ukrainian refugee on North Carolina train found incompetent to stand trialA judge ordered that Decarlos Brown Jr. receive treatment for four months to restore his competency. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Iryna Zarutska, 23, was killed on a Charlotte Area Transit System train by Decarlos Brown Jr.WCNCShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 9, 2026, 2:42 PM EDTBy Mirna AlsharifThe man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train last August has been found incompetent to stand trial. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.A hearing was held on Tuesday to discuss the competency of Decarlos Brown Jr., who was charged in connection with Zarutska’s fatal stabbing on a Charlotte Area Transit System train.Video from the incident show Zarutska being stabbed in the neck by a passenger seated behind her without any provocation. Seconds later, without receiving help or any visible concern from other train passengers, Zarutska collapses to the train floor, where she was later pronounced dead.Brown was evaluated by medical and correctional staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago after a court ordered an evaluation to determine his competency in January, a judge said in a North Carolina court Tuesday. On April 14, it was concluded that he was not competent to stand trial, but his prognosis to be restored to competency through medication was good. Iryna Zarutska.via GoFundMeThe judge on Tuesday ordered that Brown be hospitalized and treated for four months, at which time there will be another hearing to determine if he is competent to stand trial. Brown will remain in custody throughout this time, according to U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. If Brown’s competency does not improve enough for him to stand trial, he will not be released because he would be “a serious risk” to others, the judge said. During the hearing, Brown had a co...