The brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska has ignited outrage in Charlotte, N.C., and beyond. On her way home from a pizza shop shift in August, Zarutska boarded the city’s light rail and sat near Decarlos Brown Jr. Moments later, without provocation, he fatally stabbed her.
The tragedy is more than random violence — it was preventable. Brown had a long record of mental illness and 14 prior convictions, yet in January Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes released him without bail after an arrest for abusing 911, requiring only a “written promise” to return to court. Critics argue that reckless decision paved the way for Zarutska’s death.
More than 11,000 people have signed a petition demanding Stokes’s removal, citing her failure to protect the public. North Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation has also called for her ouster, writing: “By releasing a repeat violent offender on nothing more than his written promise to appear, Magistrate Stokes displayed a willful failure to perform the duties of her office.”
The case also highlights systemic flaws: in North Carolina, magistrates aren’t required to hold a law degree or pass the bar, yet they make decisions with life-or-death consequences. Zarutska fled war in Ukraine seeking safety in America. Instead, she lost her life on a train — a haunting reminder of what happens when the justice system prioritizes offenders over victims.
