Doctors rule suspect in murder of Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska mentally unfit in US, Trump called for execution
A suspect accused of murdering Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska in the United States has been found mentally unfit to stand trial, despite calls from Donald Trump to apply the death penalty.
Source: The Assembly
Details: A state psychiatric institution determined that the man charged with Zarutska's murder is unable to participate in court proceedings at the state level.
DeCarlos Brown Jr., accused of killing Zarutska in North Carolina, was examined at Central Regional Hospital on 29 December 2025, and the defence shared the results on 7 April.
Under North Carolina law, if a defendant does not understand the nature of the proceedings and is unable to assist in their own defence, they cannot be punished, including by death penalty. However, the final decision rests with a judge.
Brown is due to face a competency hearing in Mecklenburg County Superior Court, where it will be decided whether he can stand trial.
Nonetheless, the defendant's lawyer stated in a motion that such a hearing cannot be held while Brown remains under federal jurisdiction.
The tragedy occurred on 22 August 2025 in Charlotte. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was riding public transport and looking at her phone when the attacker suddenly jumped 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 34-year-old homeless man DeCarlos Brown Jr. 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 history: since 2011, he has been repeatedly detained for theft, armed robbery and threats. However, seven months before Zarutska's murder, he had been released from custody on a written promise to appear.
Zarutska's boyfriend criticised the judge who had allowed Brown's release.
The case sparked public outrage and drew attention from the White House and conservatives. Donald Trump called for the suspect to be executed, while Elon Musk promised US$1 million to create murals in Zarutska's honour.
Meanwhile, Trump repeatedly used Zarutska's death in his political confrontation with Democrats.
In February, Trump also invited Zarutska's mother to attend his address to Congress, where he described Brown as a deranged monster and claimed that he had entered the country through open borders (although Brown was in fact born in Charlotte).
That same month, a North Carolina House oversight committee held a hearing in which Republicans criticised the authorities in Charlotte.
Later, the state's General Assembly, where Republicans hold a majority, passed a law named after Zarutska. Democratic Governor Josh Stein signed it into law last year.
The legislation, among other things, limits the possibility of pretrial release on bail and is aimed at reinstating the death penalty, which has not been used for a long time.
The defence has asked to postpone the hearing for six months. The judge has not yet ruled on that motion.
Both state and federal prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Brown.
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