A North Carolina judge’s January decision to release Decarlos Brown, a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia and a repeat offender, is under fire after Brown was later charged in the stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, surveillance footage of Zarutska’s killing fueled national outrage. The reaction stemmed from both the nature of the crime and what some described as silence from Democrat leaders and legacy media outlets, according to the New York Post.
Police said Zarutska was stabbed multiple times and died on the Lynx Blue Line on August 22. After the killing, Brown was seen moving through the train, bleeding, removing his hoodie, and waiting for the next stop.
Brown’s criminal history is extensive. He was arrested on January 19 for “misuse of the 911 system” after calling police during a welfare check, claiming “man made materials” inside his body controlled his eating, talking, and walking, according to KFOX14.
“Brown wanted officers to investigate this ‘man made’ material that was inside of his body,” the affidavit said. Police told him it was a medical issue and not something they could pursue.
In response, Brown became angry and called 911 again, leading to his arrest.
Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes granted Brown’s release based on a “written promise” that he would return for his court hearing, according to KFOX14.
Brown, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has been arrested at least 14 times. His charges include felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault, shoplifting, and making threats, according to CBS 12 News.
Republican lawmakers criticized Democratic leaders for allowing Brown to remain free despite his extensive criminal record and mental health issues. President Donald Trump condemned ‘woke’ Democratic reforms for enabling this murder to occur, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“This monster had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote on X. “By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians,” PBS reported.
“What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP. The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail…,” Trump posted to social media.