United States: The murderer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska declared unfit to stand trial by psychiatrists

The young woman was stabbed on a tram in Charlotte in August 2025. The suspect, aged 35, is considered "unable" to appear in court.

The case had sparked outrage in the United States, particularly among conservatives. A man accused of murdering a Ukrainian refugee has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial, US media reported Wednesday.

DeCarlos Brown , 35, is suspected of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska, 23, as she was returning home from work on a streetcar in Charlotte, North Carolina , in the eastern part of the country, in August 2025.

According to local media, including WBTV , psychiatrists have determined that DeCarlos Brown is "unable" to appear in court and his lawyer has requested a postponement of the trial.

Donald Trump had called for the death penalty

Calling the alleged murderer an "animal," Donald Trump had demanded on his Truth Social network "a swift trial" and called for the death penalty . White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, for her part, called DeCarlos Brown, who had multiple prior convictions, a "monster" who "should have been locked up."

Images of the murder, captured by CCTV cameras, were widely circulated by conservative media outlets and social media accounts to support Donald Trump’s repressive crime policies.

Since returning to power more than a year ago, the American president has sent or attempted to send troops to several cities run by his Democratic opponents, such as the capital Washington or Los Angeles, in the name, according to him, of fighting crime.

The case sparked outrage in the United States: DeCarlos Brown, 35, suspected of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, was deemed mentally "unable" to stand trial ➡️ https://t.co/pkT63hXlqe pic.twitter.com/U2XcIfUEjs

— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien)

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