The deranged homeless man charged with butchering a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train was free on cashless bail after a magistrate released him with just a “written promise” to show up for court — despite a nearly two-decade history of violence and mental illness.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina for crimes ranging from assault and firearms possession to felony robbery and larceny dating back to 2007.
His own mother told local TV station WSOC that her son was schizophrenic and should never have been allowed to roam the streets.
CATS
But, Brown was a free man right up until the moment cops said he viciously stabbed Iryna Zarutska in an unprovoked and cowardly sneak attack as she rode the train home from her job at a local pizzeria.
Horrifying video of the Aug. 22 incident — which sparked nationwide outrage when it emerged last weekend — shows Brown seated on the train before Zarutska boards and takes a seat in front of him — her blonde locks tucked underneath a nondescript black baseball cap.
She busies herself with her phone as Brown, wearing a red sweatshirt, unfolds a pocket knife a few seconds before looming over her and plunging several fatal stabs into the diminutive woman’s neck.
The system failed Zarutska at every turn after the young woman escaped the horrors of war-torn Ukraine to start a new life in 2022 — only to be savagely murdered while she was minding her own business.
The killing has also exposed major safety flaws on Charlotte’s mass transit system. Brown was allegedly a fare-beater, taking both a bus and the Lynch Blue Line train without paying a cent.
Additionally, it has emerged that local cops do not even police the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). Security has been outsourced to Professional Security Services (PSS) since last December. The contract allows for 218 security personnel system-wide, but 32 roles — 15% of those positions — are currently vacant, Q City Metro reported.
PSS did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Following the attack, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles issued a tone-deaf statement, demanding compassion for people with mental illness — while avoiding mentioning the victim’s name or the suspect’s lengthy rap sheet.
Lyles didn’t respond to a message from The Post, but hours later issued a stunning reversal on social media, calling out the courts and magistrates for letting suspects like Brown free to stalk the streets.
“As I reflect on the tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska, my heart continues to go out to her family and our community as we try to make sense of this horrific and senseless loss,” begins the statement, the first time Lyles said the young victim’s name publicly.
“This was a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates. Our police officers arrest people only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety,” she wrote.
“We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets.”
Charlotte City Council members addressed crime on CATS during a business meeting days after the attack, where multiple members warned that their constituents felt unsafe using buses and trains in the city.
“That is concerning. Clearly, our current safety policies are not enough,” council member Dimple Ajmera told the meeting.
The court system — which time and again let Brown go free — was another layer of the failure Zarutska’s shocking caught-on-camera slaughter.
In his most recent brush with the law in January, Brown was arrested for making a false report to 911 after telling cops conducting a welfare check that he had been given a “man-made material” that controlled his eating, walking and talking, according to court records.
When officers said there was nothing they could do, he became irate and called the emergency response line, which led to his arrest.
But Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes released him with a “written promise” to appear for his next court date.
Before that, Brown served five years in prison beginning in 2014 for robbery with a dangerous firearm, and was busted again for assaulting his sister at home soon after his release.
A neighbor of Zarutska’s family home in Charlotte told The Post that her parents and sister are taking her death “really hard.”
“She was sweet, the whole neighborhood loved her. She did a lot of pet sitting for neighbors, she was a good, sweet person,” said the neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous, adding that her father couldn’t attend the funeral because he’s eligible to be drafted into the war against Russia.
