The brutal murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train has become the flashpoint for a political firestorm — and for good reason. The accused killer, Decarlos Brown Jr., was no stranger to law enforcement. He had been arrested fourteen times, convicted of violent crimes including armed robbery, and repeatedly allowed to walk free thanks to a broken justice system that put criminals ahead of innocent citizens.
At the center of this failure is Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who shockingly released Brown on nothing more than a “written promise” after his most recent arrest in January 2025 — his 14th. The charge? Becoming combative with police officers, a clear sign of his escalating instability. Instead of protecting the public, Stokes treated Brown like a misunderstood offender and sent him back onto the streets. Eight months later, Zarutska was dead — stabbed dozens of times in an unprovoked attack.
Now, North Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation is demanding accountability. **Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC)** announced on X that he and his colleagues have formally called for Stokes’ removal:
“Today, I led a letter calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released a 14-time offender who went on to murder Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte. This tragedy was preventable. There must be accountability. North Carolinians deserve better.”
The GOP lawmakers sent their letter to the district’s Chief Judge, invoking **North Carolina General Statute § 7A-173(a)**, which allows for the removal of a magistrate for “willful and persistent failure” to perform duties or conduct that undermines public trust in the judicial system.
They didn’t mince words: *“Magistrate Stokes’s actions in the case of Decarlos Brown, Jr. clearly meet both of these grounds for removal.”*
The letter outlined Brown’s disturbing rap sheet, which included arrests for violent crimes like possession of a firearm by a felon, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and even assaulting his own sister. In 2014, he was sentenced to five years in prison for armed robbery. Yet, despite this violent history, Stokes handed him freedom without bond, without conditions, and without concern for public safety.
The consequences were deadly. While awaiting trial for his January charges, Brown allegedly boarded a Charlotte light rail train on August 22, 2025, and savagely murdered Zarutska, who had fled war-torn Ukraine for what she thought would be a safer life in America.
Republicans connected the dots clearly: Stokes’ reckless decision directly enabled this tragedy. *“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,”* the letter declared.
The lawmakers also demanded a full review of her prior bond decisions, raising the possibility that Brown’s case isn’t the only example of her negligence.
At its core, this isn’t just about one failed judge — it’s about a justice system warped by leniency. A system where violent offenders are coddled while law-abiding citizens are left vulnerable. A system where ideology and incompetence outweigh basic common sense.
Zarutska’s murder was preventable. Her blood is not only on the hands of her attacker, but also on the system — and the judge — that gave him freedom. North Carolinians deserve better, and Republicans are making it clear: judges who refuse to protect the public must go.
