North Carolina
Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes
Mecklenburg County District Court
- Case on record
- 1
- Ended in a killing
- 1
- Prior arrests across these defendants
- 14
Background
Magistrate judge in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. In January 2025 released Decarlos Brown Jr. on a written promise to appear despite a record of 14 prior arrests. Brown is accused of murdering Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail months later. All 10 NC House Republicans signed a letter calling for her removal.
Cases on record
219
days after release
Murder in Charlotte, North Carolina
Iryna Zarutska, 23
Released January 15, 2025. Terms: Written promise to appear (no bail).
Brown pulled a folding knife from his hoodie and stabbed Zarutska three times from behind, including in the neck, as she sat looking at her phone on the train. She died at the scene. The attack was captured on surveillance video.