(José Niño, Headline USA) While public attention focuses on DeCarlos Brown Jr.’s federal charges in the brutal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system, the violent criminal history of his half-brother Stacey Dejon Brown has received considerably less scrutiny. .
Stacey Dejon Brown, now 32, is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for the October 2012 murder of 65-year-old Robert Heym. The crime bears striking similarities to his half-brother’s recent attack, particularly in its use of Charlotte’s public transportation system as both a means of approach and escape.
Stacey Dejon Brown, the half-brother of Iryna Zarutska's alleged killer, Decarlos Brown, JR, murdered Bob Heym, a 65 year-old White man, at a Charlotte, NC, park in 2012.
Their father, Decarlos Brown, Sr, is a career violent criminal who is in prison.
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Brown used the Charlotte light rail to reach Conway Avenue, where he and co-defendant Roderick Crawford attempted to rob Heym at gunpoint, per a report by WSOC-TV 9. When the elderly man resisted, Brown shot him in the face with a sawed-off shotgun.
The parallels between the half-brothers’ crimes extend beyond their use of public transit. Both attacks involved vulnerable victims, unprovoked violence, and suspects with extensive criminal histories who had been repeatedly released by the justice system despite clear warning signs.
Stacey Brown’s criminal activity began years before the murder that would ultimately land him in prison. In July 2012, months before killing Heym, he used bricks to break into vehicles in a parking garage. The day before the murder, he participated in another armed robbery, shooting a man in the back as the victim attempted to flee.
Court records reveal that Stacey Brown pleaded guilty to multiple charges on April 24, 2014, before Judge Hugh B. Lewis. His sentence of 324 to 438 months reflected the severity of his crimes: second-degree murder, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and breaking or entering a motor vehicle.
For his part, DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, faces federal charges that could result in the death penalty for the August 22 stabbing of Zarutska, per a press release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of North Carolina.
His criminal record includes 14 prior arrests and a five-year prison sentence for armed robbery completed in 2020. Family members described his deteriorating mental health after his release from prison, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia and increasingly violent behavior.
Charlotte officials have acknowledged the breakdown in public safety protocols. Mayor Vi Lyles called Zarutska’s murder “a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates,” noting that police officers arrest individuals only to see them quickly released.
The Charlotte Area Transit System has announced immediate security changes, including redeploying personnel for stronger presence on Blue Line platforms and adding nearly 30 additional security staff.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
