Light rail fact check: Here are the claims vs. reality in the Charlotte stabbing
Editor’s note: NC Reality Check is investigating misinformation from official sources or social media regarding the fatal Charlotte light rail stabbing of Iryna Zarutska. If you encounter a claim that you would like us to check out, email jcoin@charlotteobserver.com.
The fatal light rail stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska has left Charlotte communities stunned and put leaders under scrutiny. It’s also prompted false claims from politicians that reverberated through social media.
DeCarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old homeless man, was charged in Zarutska’s murder, and video of the stabbing lifted the local Charlotte story into the national spotlight. Some politicians — local, state and national — have at least in part blamed Zarutska’s death on the court system, judges and district attorneys who had encountered Brown in the last 10 years.
Here’s a breakdown of the claims and facts surrounding Zarutska’s death and Brown’s history.
Claim: A district attorney released DeCarlos Brown Jr. before the light rail stabbing.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Sept. 9 said Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather “agreed to letting criminal defendants sign a written promise to appear in court.”
“That’s what (DeCarlos Brown Jr.) was allowed to do in July,” Bondi said in a FOX News interview. “Weeks later he murdered Iryna.”
Facts: The district attorney, an elected prosecutor, does not decide whether someone is released after an arrest. A Mecklenburg magistrate released Brown in January on a misdemeanor misusing 911 call charge. That was seven months before the late August stabbing.
As the charge remained pending and moved through Charlotte’s court, Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather’s office did not ask a judge to consider modifying Brown’s conditions of release. A judge at a July hearing ordered he be mentally evaluated.
Claim: Democratic ”soft-on-crime” polices led to DeCarlos Brown Jr.’s release.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said “Iryna is just one example of what progressive, liberal politics do and politicians do.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said “Democrat politicians, liberal judges and weak prosecutors would rather virtue signal than lock up criminals and protect their communities.”
Facts: The policies the magistrate followed when releasing DeCarlos Brown Jr. were developed by Republican and Democratic leaders. North Carolina’s Speaker of the House, Republican Destin Hall, sponsored the Pretrial Integrity Act that in 2023 limited magistrates’ ability to set conditions of release. It says magistrates must set a condition of release (and cannot indefinitely hold defendants) unless they were arrested while on parole or face “certain high-level offenses.” Those state statutes are still in effect today. District Attorney Spencer Merriweather helped develop Mecklenburg’s bail policy, which mostly echoes state law established by Hall. Also, most of DeCarlos Brown Jr.’s dismissed charges were handled by former elected Republican District Attorney Andrew Murray.
Claim: City leaders didn’t want video of the stabbing released
Phil McGraw, better known as Dr. Phil, in a post on social media site X said: “Charlotte’s democratic leadership didn’t want anyone to see the surveillance of a cold-blooded murder aboard a light rail. The Mayor did everything possible to keep the horrific video under wraps.”
Facts: There’s no evidence that the mayor or anyone else tried to stop release of the video. Some officials encouraged media to consider not sharing graphic footage. The Charlotte Area Transit System released footage of the stabbing to several news outlets on Sept. 5 following public records requests. Mayor Vi Lyles, however, later released a statement saying: “I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family.” Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather, in an interview with The Charlotte Observer, said: “A terrorizing loss of life should disgust every member of out public, but it should also be disgusting to have people publicly exposed to it.”
Claim: President Donald Trump said “The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 times.”
In a post on Truth Social and X, Trump announced that he had “seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic.” Trump questioned why DeCarlos Brown Jr. was able to ride the train and wasn’t “locked up.”
Facts: DeCarlos Brown Jr. was previously held on secured bonds of up to $75,000 for felony charges of breaking and entering, larceny and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was released on a written promise to appear in January for a misdemeanor misusing 911 charge.
Claim: DeCarlos Brown Jr. didn’t show up to court on a misdemeanor charge alleging he misused the 911 system.
During N.C. General Assembly debate Sept. 23 on a crime bill, Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Republican who represents part of Charlotte, referenced the January arrest of Brown by CMPD on a misdemeanor charge alleging he misused 911 after he called from a hospital to say something was controlling him.
Cotham said: “(Brown) joined the city streets of Charlotte with nothing but a piece of paper, where he promised on his honor, of which he had none, to return back to court. You can guess how that turned out.”
Facts: Brown did appear in court in the case for every hearing, according to the court file. He was in court for a first appearance on Jan. 21, and then in court again for hearings on March 24 and June 30.
Claim: DeCarlos Brown Jr. said ‘I got that white girl’ after stabbing the light rail victim.
Rumors and audio circulated online about Brown muttering these words after video shows him stabbing Iryna Zarutska.
Facts: It is not clear what Brown said. Video and audio shows Brown muttering something but it’s hard to hear what he said. Charlotte FBI Special Agent in Charge James Barnacle and U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson in early September said they are reviewing video and audio as a part of their investigation into Brown’s federal case.
Ryan Oehrli and Patrick Wilson contributed.
This story was originally published September 17, 2025 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Light rail fact check: Here are the claims vs. reality in the Charlotte stabbing."
