Federal competency hearing set for Charlotte man charged in light rail killing

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A competency hearing for Decarlos Brown Jr. is scheduled for Tuesday morning in Charlotte federal court.

According to a notice filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Brown’s hearing will take place at 9:30 a.m.

Brown, 34, is facing federal and state charges in connection with the August 22, 2025, fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system.

Federal court filings: Suspect in deadly Charlotte light rail stabbing not competent for trial

In May, federal mental health evaluators determined that Brown is not competent to stand trial. Prosecutors and defense attorneys both asked the court to hold a competency hearing after a Bureau of Prisons evaluation found Brown suffers from ‘a serious mental illness’ that prevents him from understanding the homicide case and helping in his defense…

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