All 10 Republican members of North Carolina\u2019s congressional delegation are calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who earlier this year released a violent repeat offender now accused of murdering a young Ukrainian refugee. The suspect, 31-year-old Decarlos Brown, is charged with fatally stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train on August 22. Surveillance footage shows the attack was unprovoked.<\/p>\n
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Tim Moore, argue that Stokes released Brown in January on nothing more than a \u201cwritten promise\u201d to appear in court, despite his long criminal history \u2014 including at least 14 arrests for violent offenses, weapons charges, and assault. At the time, Brown had been charged with misuse of the 911 system after calling police over delusional claims involving \u201cman-made\u201d materials in his body. He was released without bail.<\/p>\n
In a letter obtained by Fox News, the Republicans said Zarutska\u2019s death was a \u201cdirect result of a failure of judicial responsibility.\u201d They urged North Carolina\u2019s judicial system to begin formal removal proceedings against Stokes and to review her past bond decisions for similar risks to public safety.<\/p>\n
The case has sparked outrage across the state. Zarutska, who fled Ukraine after the Russian invasion, was described by friends as hopeful and hardworking. Candlelight vigils have been held in her memory, and many mourners expressed heartbreak that she survived war only to be killed in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is another example of how soft-on-crime policies endanger the public,\u201d Moore said. Brown remains in custody awaiting trial. Zarutska\u2019s family plans to bury her in the United States, a country she had come to love.<\/p>\n
to wholly preventable harm.\u201d<\/p>\n