All 10 Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation are demanding the removal of a state magistrate judge who released a violent repeat offender now accused of stabbing a young Ukrainian refugee to death on a Charlotte light rail train.
In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital, the lawmakers called for formal proceedings against Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, citing her decision earlier this year to release 31-year-old Decarlos Brown “based solely on his ‘written promise’ to appear for a future court date.”
Brown is now charged with the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 after Russia’s invasion. Surveillance footage showed the young woman sitting on the Lynx Blue Line when Brown, seated behind her, suddenly attacked. Authorities said the assault appeared unprovoked.
The Republicans, led by Rep. Tim Moore (R-N.C.), argued that Stokes’ earlier ruling ignored Brown’s extensive criminal history, which included at least 14 prior arrests for serious offenses. Court records list charges ranging from possession of a firearm by a felon to robbery with a dangerous weapon and physical assault of his sister.
“Ms. Zarutska’s murder was not only a profound personal tragedy but also a direct result of a failure of judicial responsibility,” the lawmakers wrote. “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 and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.”
The letter added, “Her decision has undermined public confidence in the judicial system and exposed the community to wholly preventable harm.”
Brown, who had reportedly been diagnosed with schizophrenia, was arrested in January after twice calling 911 and demanding police investigate “man-made” materials inside his body that he claimed were controlling him. When officers refused, Brown grew agitated and was charged with a misdemeanor. Stokes released him without bail.
Republicans argue that decision directly contributed to Zarutska’s death seven months later, pointing to what they describe as a broader trend of lenient pretrial releases in major cities.
“This is another example of how soft-on-crime policies endanger the public,” Moore said. “When violent repeat offenders are let back on the streets, tragedies like this happen.”
The case has drawn widespread outrage in North Carolina and beyond. Zarutska’s killing prompted candlelight vigils in Charlotte and a wave of online tributes. Friends described her as hardworking and hopeful about starting a new life in the United States after escaping the war in Ukraine.
“She survived bombs in Ukraine only to be killed here,” one mourner told local station WBTV. “It’s heartbreaking, and it should never have happened.”
The letter from North Carolina Republicans urged the state’s courts to begin formal removal proceedings against Stokes and to review her other bond determinations to determine if similar lapses occurred.
“North Carolinians deserve to know that those entrusted with judicial authority exercise it with diligence, responsibility, and regard for the safety of the community,” the lawmakers wrote.
The North Carolina Judicial Branch has not yet commented on the letter.
The controversy also comes amid national debate over public safety and crime policy. President Donald Trump has deployed National Guard troops to several cities, including Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, while threatening similar action in Chicago and Baltimore. Democratic governors have resisted the moves, but Republicans have pointed to cases like Zarutska’s killing as evidence of what they describe as a broken justice system.
Brown remains in custody on charges of murder and weapons violations. His next court appearance has not yet been scheduled. Zarutska’s friends and relatives in both the United States and Ukraine have set up online memorial pages in her honor. Her family has vowed for her to be lain to rest in the United States because she “loved America.”
On Instagram, her sister wrote: “She came here looking for safety and peace. We will never understand how this could happen.”
