News that Decarlos Brown Jr, the suspect accused of killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in August, has had his court hearing delayed has sparked online anger.
Brown, 34, has been charged with her murder and with causing death on a mass transportation system after Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman, was stabbed in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22, on the Lynx Blue Line near the Camden Road area in Charlotte’s South End shortly before 10 p.m.
He was scheduled to have a Rule 24 court hearing on October 16, meaning a hearing determining whether the state would pursue the death penalty. But according to court documents cited by local news outlets, this hearing has now been delayed until April 2026, sparking outrage on social media. Newsweek was unable to access these court documents.
Newsweek reached out to Brown’s attorney, Daniel Roberts and the Charlotte District Attorney’s Office by email to comment on this story.
The Context
Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene, and a suspect was taken to the hospital for treatment due to a hand injury in August. A folding knife was located near the platform, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. A video of the incident circulated on social media.
The case attracted scrutiny around safety on public transport. It also created a storm as Brown, who was known to the police as having schizophrenia and had previous arrests and convictions spanning over a decade, had been released after an arrest in January.
Brown is being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Jail, and his federal charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison or execution.
What To Know
According to local news outlet WBTV, Brown and his attorney, Roberts, decided to delay the hearing, but the reason was redacted in the court documents.
Writing on X, scientist and photographer Matt Van Swol (who has 367k followers) wrote: