(Ken Silva, Headline USA) DeCarlos Brown Jr., the homeless man accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train, has been found “incapable of proceeding” in the federal case against him. Brown was previously ruled incapable to proceed in the state murder case against him last month.
The determination for Brown does not mean he’s being let out of custody. However, it may spare him from the death penalty.
Now, Brown must be sent to a federal facility that provides medical treatment to restore his competency, according to the Justice Department.
Important to note: https://t.co/LFs6JVyi55 pic.twitter.com/i1OuSzvfeR
— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) May 7, 2026
“Once availability at the specialized BOP facility is confirmed and Brown is securely transported to the facility, he would undergo medical treatment for a period of time not to exceed four months,” the DOJ said in a Thursday filing.
The DOJ said Brown’s prognosis to become competent to proceed is “good.” But even if he can’t be restored to competency, he still wouldn’t be released. He’d be subject to civil commitment proceedings, the DOJ said.
Brown was found incompetent to proceed because he has a mental illness. “He experiences delusions that center around his belief that he was exposed to a Material and it ‘control[s] his every movement,’” his attorneys said in a Thursday filing. “He refers to it as his Body Emergency. The delusions are constant and persistent.”
Brown also reportedly told his sister that he believes a government put a chip in his body that caused him to stab Zarutska.
Both parties now want a judge to set a formal hearing so Brown can be sent for treatment. A hearing has yet to be set.
Headline USA, which was the first publication to obtain and publish the full video of the gruesome incident, will continue to cover both cases as they develop.
Ken Silva is the editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
