Iryna Zarutska's accused killer deemed mentally unfit in US, Trump calls for his execution
A man accused of murdering Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska in the United States has been found mentally unfit to stand trial, despite calls from President Donald Trump to apply the death penalty.
Source: The Assembly
Details: A state psychiatric institution has determined that the man charged with Zarutska's murder is incapable of participating in court proceedings at the state level.
DeCarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of killing Zarutska in North Carolina, was examined at Central Regional Hospital on 29 December 2025, and the defence shared the results of the evaluation on 7 April.
Under North Carolina law, if a defendant does not understand the nature of the proceedings and is incapable of assisting in their own defence, they cannot be punished, including by the death penalty. However, the final decision rests with the judge.
Brown is due to attend a competency hearing in Mecklenburg Superior Court, where it will be determined whether he can stand trial.
However, his attorney has stated in a motion that the hearing cannot be held while Brown remains under federal jurisdiction.
The tragedy occurred in Charlotte on 22 August 2025. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was travelling on public transport and looking at her phone when the attacker suddenly jumped up from his seat and stabbed her several times in the neck. The young woman, who had moved to the US to escape the war, died at the scene.
The suspect was later detained and identified as DeCarlos Brown Jr, a 34-year-old homeless man. He was initially taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and later arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Brown has a lengthy criminal record, having been arrested multiple times since 2011 for theft, armed robbery and making threats. Yet seven months before Zarutska's murder, he had been released from custody on a written promise to appear.
Zarutska's boyfriend has criticised the judge who allowed Brown's release.
The case sparked public outrage and drew attention from the White House and conservatives. Trump called for the suspect to be executed, while Elon Musk pledged to donate US$1 million to create murals in Zarutska's honour.
Meanwhile, Trump made repeated use of Zarutska's death in his political confrontation with the Democrats.
In February, Trump invited Zarutska's mother to attend his State of the Union address to Congress, in which he described Brown as a "deranged monster" and claimed he had "come through open borders" (although Brown was in fact born in Charlotte).
That same month, the North Carolina House oversight committee held a hearing in which Republicans lambasted the authorities in Charlotte.
The state's General Assembly, where Republicans hold a majority, later passed a law named after Zarutska. Democratic Governor Josh Stein signed it last year.
Among other things, the law restricts pre-trial release on bail and seeks to revive the death penalty, which has not been applied for a long time.
The defence has asked for the hearing to be postponed for six months. A judge has not yet ruled on the motion.
Both state and federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Brown.
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