Train-Stab Victim Iryna Zarutska's Alleged Killer  Deemed Incompetent For Trial

Train-Stab Victim Iryna Zarutska's Alleged Killer  Deemed Incompetent For Trial

Author: iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline June 6, 2026 Duration: 57:13

Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, came to the United States with her family to escape her war-torn country for a better life. Iryna took English classes, had a job and was making a productive life for herself, but all her aspirations were cut short by an unprovoked violent attack from a man with a criminal history. 

Video shows Iryna getting on the train in Charlotte North Carolina, taking a seat and looking at her phone quietly. Video shows a passenger sitting directly behind Iryna, who we later came to know as Carlos Brown Jr. A close-up of Brown's hands can be seen opening and unfolding the knife in order to prepare to stand up to stab Iryna. Although Iryna's hat covers a lot of her face, the shock in her eyes, along with the terror she silently expressed during her final moments of life, bleeding out, surrounded by panic is heartbreaking to watch. 

Video also shows Brown, in an orange hoodie, walking the aisles of the train with blood dripping on the floor. One passenger notices blood drops and avoids stepping in it, while another witness on the phone with 911 tells them a man just stabbed a woman for no reason and she needs help. 

Moments after allegedly stabbing Iryna, Brown is captured on video non-chalantly walking the platform of the train station. On the train, Brown was wearing a hoodie, now he is wearing a black t-shirt, with the now bloody hoody, wrapped around his hands.

A Grand jury indicted Brown, formally charging him with first-degree murder.  Now medical experts have determined that he is incompetent to stand trial.

Joining Nancy Grace today,

  • Randy Kessler -  Atlanta Trial Lawyer, Emory Law School Professor, Past Chair ABA Family Law Section, Author: "Divorce, Protect Yourself, Your Kids and Your Future", www.KSFamilyLaw.com, Instagram: @rkessler23, Twitter: @GADivorce
  • Caryn Stark -  Forensic Psychologist, renowned TV and Radio trauma expert and consultant, www.carynstark.com, Instagram: carynpsych, FB: Caryn Stark Private Practice  
  • Andy Kahan - Director of Victim Services and Advocacy at Crime Stoppers of Houston, crime-stoppers.org  
  • Ron Bateman - Former homicide detective, former undercover narcotics agent, former sheriff. Author crime fiction series, “Silent Blue Tears”, and now soon to be released his newest book with Billy Joe Nichols, “opposing sides, memoirs of a drug dealer and a detective”, Website: Ronbatemanbooks.com , TikTok: @Ron.Bateman.655
  • Dr. Thomas Coyne - Chief Medical Examiner, District 2 Medical Examiner's Office, State of Florida; Forensic Pathologist, Toxicologist, Neuropathologist; X: @DrTMCoyne
  • Susan Hendricks - Journalist, Author: “Down the Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi", IG @susan_hendricks X @SusanHendicks  
  • Dave Mack - Crime Stories, Investigative Reporter 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


Each day brings another headline, another case that grips the public, and Crime Stories with Nancy Grace goes straight to the heart of these developments. This isn't a retrospective look at cold cases, but a timely, urgent examination of breaking news and ongoing investigations. Drawing on her unique background as a prosecutor with a perfect conviction record, Nancy Grace applies her relentless, questioning perspective to the latest shocking crimes. She built a reputation on television for uncovering missed clues and amplifying searches for the missing, and now she channels that same intensity into this daily audio format. In collaboration with iHeartPodcasts and CrimeOnline, the podcast leverages the immediacy of digital media and her substantial social media reach to deliver fresh insights and developments as stories unfold. Listeners are brought directly into the analysis, hearing the tough questions asked and the details that might otherwise get lost in the noise of a 24-hour news cycle. It’s for those who follow true crime not just as a genre, but as a constantly evolving narrative of justice and intrigue, served with a prosecutor’s precision. Tune in daily for a direct, no-nonsense take on the stories dominating the news.
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