A Charlotte, NC Judge is under fire for releasing a 14-time offender who is accused of fatally stabbing a woman on the Blue Line light rail train.
Decarlos Brown Jr. is federally charged with the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee.
Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes released Brown from jail in January following his arrest for abusing the 911 system.
Stokes allegedly failed the bar exam 4 times and was never admitted to the North Carolina Bar, according to reports.
North Carolina is among many states that don’t require passing the bar exam to become a judge.
Republican lawmakers at the state and federal levels have called for Stokes’ removal from the bench, citing concerns over public safety.
Podcaster Alex Jones published the full, uncensored surveillance video of the murder on his X (Twitter) page on Tuesday.
The video shows Zarutska enter the train and sit in a seat in front of Brown. Brown produced a small pocketknife and unfolded it. Then he stood up and jabbed Zarutska 3 times in the chest, piercing her heart.
After the attack, Brown walked away leaving a trail of his own blood from a wound to his right hand.
Several train passengers rushed forward to help Zarutska, who bled out from her chest wounds.
Brown was arrested at the next train stop.
Brown told police he heard voices from “implants” in his brain telling him to harm Zarutska.
In January, Brown was arrested for calling 911 multiple times from a mental hospital. He complained that he was being held against his will by healthcare workers.
He has a history of schizophrenia according to his mother.
Judge Stokes released Brown from jail on a “written promise to appear” at his next court date. He never showed up.
Democrat lawmakers accused Republicans of politicizing the murder to distract the public’s attention from the Epstein files.
Business records show Stokes owned and operated a mental health facility in Charlotte where Brown had been a patient.
It is not illegal for judges in North Carolina to release detainees from jail and admit them into mental health facilities that they own.
Brown, who is currently in state custody, faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of the federal charges.
That's why they are Magistrates. No need for law school. North Carolina has a broken legal system. Do the research and prepare to be disappointed by your state.
— WereSoBack (@Were_So_Back_) September 8, 2025
