A Mecklenburg County grand jury has returned a state-level murder indictment against Decarlos Brown Jr. in the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line light-rail train. The case has triggered renewed scrutiny of public safety, mental health policy and institutional accountability in Charlotte, leading to Iryna’s Law signed into statute earlier this month.
As previously reported by Carolina Journal, Brown, 34, possessed a lengthy criminal history, including arrests for robbery with a deadly weapon. That record has become central to public criticism that the criminal‐justice system failed to protect innocent citizens.
In addition to the newly returned state indictment, federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint on Sept. 9, 2025, charging Brown with the federal crime of causing death on a mass‐transportation system — an offense that carries life in prison or the death penalty…