CHARLOTTE — The brother of the man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light rail train said the system that released the suspect on cashless bail after a prior arrest should have prevented the killing.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, has been charged by the Justice Department with first-degree murder in the Aug. 22 attack that left 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska dead. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the department will seek the maximum penalty, saying the suspect "will never again see the light of day as a free man."
Jeremiah, 19, who shares a father with the accused, told The Post that a magistrate judge set what he called "lax" terms when Brown was released from jail after a January arrest. "I think they could have pretty much prevented it then," Jeremiah said, adding that Brown should face consequences and receive treatment for mental health issues.
Prosecutors say Brown, who has a prior prison record and multiple arrests for violent offenses, is a homeless man who has been described as living with schizophrenia. Surveillance video released by the Charlotte Area Transit System shows Zarutska reacting to being stabbed while aboard the light rail.
Jeremiah said he had only met his half-brother "once or twice" and that he was shocked to see him on the news. He described a family history that includes criminal cases involving other relatives. A photo Jeremiah confirmed of his father, Decarlos Sr., shows a man with prior arrests for breaking and entering, felony conspiracy, larceny and a weapons charge on the University of North Carolina–Charlotte campus.
Jeremiah also noted that an older half-brother, Stacey Dejon Brown, is serving a 27- to 36-year sentence for a 2014 murder in Charlotte. Officials have said Stacey and another man shot a 65-year-old victim during a robbery; Stacey fled on the light rail after that shooting, a fact Jeremiah said he remembers from childhood news coverage.
Authorities have not released detailed information about the magistrate's decision in the January case that Jeremiah criticized. Court records indicate Brown was released without cash bail under conditions that allowed him to remain in the community pending further proceedings. Defense and court officials customarily cite a range of factors when setting pretrial conditions, including criminal history, flight risk and mental health considerations.
Zarutska, who fled Ukraine with her mother and siblings in 2022, had been living in Charlotte with her family, relatives and officials said. Community members and public officials reacted to the killing with shock and calls for answers about both the circumstances of the attack and the broader handling of individuals with mental illness in the criminal justice system.
The Justice Department announced federal charges this week. Federal authorities often seek to prosecute violent crimes that occur in public transit or involve civil rights or other federal interests, and Bondi's office said it would pursue the most severe punishment allowable under federal law.
Jeremiah said he felt remorse for Zarutska and her family. "I hope for the family impacted by the lady on the train," he said. "I hope they get the support they need."
Local and federal investigations into the stabbing remain active, and federal prosecutors have indicated they will move forward with the murder case as their inquiry proceeds.