Decarlos Brown Jr.
Facebook/Decarlos Brown Jr.

When 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail train, shock swiftly turned to fury.

The accused killer, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., had a long record of violent crime and mental illness. Yet just months earlier, Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes released him on a mere 'written promise' to appear in court.

That decision has unleashed a firestorm of outrage, leaving many to ask: why was Brown ever free?

A Record That Spoke For Itself

Brown's rap sheet reads like a catalogue of missed warnings. He had been arrested at least 14 times for offences ranging from possession of a firearm by a felon to robbery with a dangerous weapon.

In 2014, he served five years in prison for armed robbery, only to return to crime soon after release, including an assault on his sister.

By January 2025, when police found Brown in crisis and arrested him for misusing the 911 system, his history was no secret.

Court documents show that officers reported his erratic claims of 'man-made materials' inside his body controlling his movements.

The arrest should have raised red flags, especially as Brown was homeless and clearly struggling with schizophrenia. Yet instead of detaining him or requiring bail, Judge Stokes allowed him to walk free.

The 'Written Promise' Controversy

The decision rested on a mechanism known as a 'written promise to appear'—essentially Brown's personal pledge to show up for court. Such a release is typically reserved for low-risk offenders. Critics argue it was shockingly inappropriate for someone with Brown's background and instability.

Adding fuel to the fire, the official Mecklenburg County release document bearing Judge Stokes' signature has circulated widely online, alongside one of Brown's many mugshots. His vacant expression in the photo has become a haunting symbol of the justice system's failure to protect the public.

Spotlight On Judge Teresa Stokes

The outrage has not stopped at Brown. Attention has turned sharply towards Judge Teresa Stokes herself.

Viral posts claim she never passed the North Carolina bar exam, pointing to her absence from the official bar register.

While magistrate judges in North Carolina are not required to be licensed attorneys, critics say the lack of formal legal training raises grave concerns about her ability to evaluate complex cases.

More troubling still are claims that Stokes holds a leadership role at a Charlotte treatment centre, raising the spectre of a conflict of interest. Could her professional ties have influenced her approach to releasing defendants with mental health struggles? For grieving communities, even the perception of divided loyalties is enough to erode confidence.

Public Outcry And Systemic Questions

The murder of Iryna Zarutska has sparked global outrage not just because of its brutality, but because it appeared preventable. How could a man with Brown's history, mental instability, and lack of permanent residence be released so lightly?

Others argue the tragedy highlights deeper flaws in the American bail system, where underqualified magistrates wield enormous power over public safety.

Calls for reform now echo beyond North Carolina, with advocates urging stricter checks, better training, and more robust safeguards for handling repeat offenders.

For Iryna's grieving family, such debates may come too late. Yet her death has become a rallying cry, forcing uncomfortable questions about who gets released, who makes that decision, and what it costs when the system gets it fatally wrong.

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