Updated
Updated · NBC News · Jun 9
Decarlos Brown Jr. Ruled Incompetent in Train Stabbing Case, Ordered to 4 Months of Treatment
Updated
Updated · NBC News · Jun 9

Decarlos Brown Jr. Ruled Incompetent in Train Stabbing Case, Ordered to 4 Months of Treatment

3 articles · Updated · NBC News · Jun 9

Summary

  • A North Carolina judge found Decarlos Brown Jr. incompetent to stand trial in the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska and ordered him hospitalized for four months of treatment.
  • An April 14 court-ordered evaluation at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago concluded Brown was not competent, though doctors said medication gave him a good chance of being restored.
  • Brown will remain in custody during treatment, and the judge said he would not be released even if competency is not restored because he poses a serious risk to others.
  • Outbursts at Tuesday’s hearing echoed earlier disruptions in the case, with prosecutors saying Brown has made bizarre claims and still cannot understand the proceedings or assist in his defense.
  • The case stems from Zarutska’s unprovoked fatal stabbing on a Charlotte Area Transit System train last August, an attack that also carries parallel federal and state charges.

Insights

Can a defendant deemed too ill for trial be made 'well enough' to face the death penalty?
With 14 prior arrests, was this violent tragedy an unavoidable failure of the system?
A new law was passed in the victim's name. Has it actually made public transit safer?