The man accused of murdering Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska has been sent for psychiatric treatment
U.S. Federal District Judge Kenneth Bell has ordered that Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of murdering Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, be sent for psychiatric treatment.
According to the court, the defendant’s attorneys filed a motion requesting that mental health professionals be given four months to assess his ability to participate in the trial and determine whether he can be deemed competent.
The judge ruled that after this period ends, if Brown shows signs of regaining his capacity, the court will consider extending treatment for an additional “reasonable period.”
The ruling also notes that a federal expert in Chicago concluded that, at this time, the defendant is not competent to stand trial, but there is a possibility of his recovery through medication.
The federal prosecutor emphasized that Brown remains in custody and will not be released, and after completing treatment, he must stand trial on the charges brought against him.
According to the case file, 34-year-old Brown faces the death penalty for the murder of a Ukrainian refugee, which occurred on August 22, 2025.
Iryna Zarutska was on a bus looking at her phone when she was attacked.
The woman was a Ukrainian refugee who, after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, moved to the U.S., where she worked at a pizzeria and was studying to become a veterinary assistant.
CNN reports this.
Decarlos Brown Jr., who was charged with the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, was found not criminally responsible.
A mural dedicated to 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed in August 2025, has been created in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
