North Carolina Republicans are calling for the ouster of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, accusing her of endangering the public by releasing a repeat offender who is now charged with murdering a young Ukrainian refugee on Charlotte’s light rail system.
In a joint letter, all ten Republican members of the state’s congressional delegation urged the North Carolina Judicial Branch to fire Stokes, saying her decision to release DeCarlos Brown Jr. on a written promise to appear in court amounted to a “willful failure” of judicial duty.
Brown, 34, was arrested in January for misusing the 911 system. Despite a record of 14 prior arrests, including convictions for armed robbery, felony larceny, and threatening behavior, Stokes authorized his release without bond. Months later, police say Brown fatally stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a refugee from Ukraine, as she rode the Lynx Blue Line near Charlotte’s South End.
“This tragedy was preventable,” the lawmakers wrote. “By freeing a violent repeat offender, Magistrate Stokes undermined public trust in the courts and exposed our community to needless danger.”
National figures quickly weighed in. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Charlotte had “failed” Zarutska by not keeping Brown behind bars. Florida Rep. Randy Fine announced plans to introduce legislation holding judges accountable when offenders they release commit violent crimes. Billionaire Elon Musk went further, calling on the public to “name and shame” judges and prosecutors who, in his view, enable repeat offenders.
Brown is currently being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Jail. A judge has ordered a competency evaluation, and his next court hearing is set for September 19.
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