Has Iryna Zarutska’s murder suspect been released? What we know as judge questions ‘capacity’

Judge Roy Wiggins issued the order last week

2 hours ago

People on Twitter are convinced that Decarlos Brown Jr, the man accused of killing Iryna Zarutska, has been released from prison by a judge questioning the “capacity to proceed” to trial.

On August 22, Decarlos Brown Jr boarded the CATS line in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he stabbed Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska three times. She was declared dead at the scene, and Decarlos was taken into custody at the next bus stop.

Decarlos, who has a long history of mental health issues and schizophrenia, is now facing the death penalty if found guilty. That being said, and after a judge released him back in January for an unrelated crime, people are now questioning whether he’s been released after an order from Judge Roy Wiggins.

Here’s what we actually know, and why some people need to go back to school.

Credit: Facebook

Okay, so did the judge release Decarlos Brown Jr?

So, last week, Judge Roy Wiggins issued an order that called for Decarlos Brown Jr to be taken from prison to Central Regional Hospital’s Butner campus in Charlotte, North Carolina. The order was shared by Headline USA journalist Ken Silva, but soon enough, countless Twitter accounts began to spread misinformation about Decarlos Brown Jr’s “release” from prison.

“While everyone was focused on Charlie Kirk’s assassination, this Democrat judge in North Carolina ordered Iryna Zarutka’s murderer, Decarlos Brown, to be released from prison,” one such post, which has since been viewed 2.7 million times, read. “They are trying to make sure he doesn’t even go to trial and is set free.”

Credit: Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office

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And this is where critical thinking skills are really important, because while the judge did issue an order for Decarlos’ release, he is not a free man in North Carolina. Instead, he has been remanded to Central Regional Hospital for psychological testing.

“The defendant be committed to Central Regional Hospital – Butner Campus for a period not to exceed sixty (60) days for observation and treatment, pursuant to G.S. 15A-1002, to determine the defendant’s capacity to proceed,” the order reads.

The observation and treatment are supposed to identify whether Decarlos can understand and retain information, make decisions, and take part in the legal process. Such tests sometimes lead to an insanity plea, which would see a defendant remanded to a psychiatric facility and not a general prison.

While everyone was focused on Charlie Kirk’s assassination this Democrat judge in North Carolina ordered Iryna Zarutka’s murderer Decarlos Brown to be released from prison.

They are trying to make sure he doesn’t even go to trial and is set free. pic.twitter.com/ak330sYc7s

— Aesthetica (@Anc_Aesthetics) September 14, 2025

Though one person rightly pointed out that “Mental health eval does not mean released dipsh*t”, there were plenty of people who misunderstood what the order was actually for.

“Is he in jail? No? Okay, so he was released from jail,” the original poster bit back.

Another person wrote: “We must start holding judges accountable for their decisions.”

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Featured image credit: CATS/Twitter