RALEIGH — A legislative hearing on public safety and crime in Charlotte set for Jan. 29 was postponed to Feb. 9 due to clarification needed regarding a federal court order limiting lawmakers from disseminating materials obtained in the Iryna Zarutska murder case.
“North Carolinians deserve the truth about what happened to Iryna Zarutska, and the mismanagement in Mecklenburg County,” House Select Committee on Oversight and Reform Co-Chair Rep. Brenden Jones (R-Columbus) wrote on X. “As such, we are asking the court to remove any ambiguity in the order to ensure the full story is told on February 9th.”
A related committee press release says, “Clear court guidance is necessary so committee members can thoroughly question Charlotte officials in light of recent tragedies.”
Decarlos Brown Jr. is accused of the stabbing murder of 23-year-old Zarutska on Charlotte’s light rail system in August 2025. The case drew national attention after surveillance footage from the train was made public. Brown faces a first-degree murder charge in North Carolina and a federal charge of committing murder on public transportation.
The committee first sent letters last December to top Charlotte officials, including Mayor Vi Lyles, Mecklenburg Sheriff Garry McFadden and others requesting information regarding public safety policies and crime. Those letters were later followed by requests to appear before the committee on Jan. 22, but the hearing was pushed back to Jan. 29 and has now been rescheduled for Feb. 9.
The federal court order referenced is a preliminary injunction issued Jan. 15 blocking Mecklenburg District Attorney Spencer Merriweather from sharing or releasing any files in the case with “any third party.”
The order was issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge David Keesler of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. His order also specifically says, “any Legislator, staff, and/or volunteer, such recipient is prohibited from disclosing and/or releasing the files without prior authorization from this court.”
The public defender representing Brown filed the emergency motion to block the file release after Merriweather informed him Jan. 14 that the Oversight Committee had requested the Zarutska investigation case files. The Oversight Committee had made a request to Merriweather on Dec. 19, 2025.
In a response filing, lawmakers said most of their requested documents “are of limited or no relevance to the Defendant’s case” but acknowledged the time frame used in their request spanned the “train stabbing of Kenyan Dobbie.”
The stabbing of Dobbie on a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) train occurred Dec. 5, 2025. Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, was arrested and charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and other crimes.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed a detainer on Solorzano, who is from Honduras and in the country illegally. ICE noted Solarzano’s criminal history, including “aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, destroying evidence, resisting arrest, using a false ID, and convictions for robbery and illegally re-entry.”
In its response to Keesler’s order, lawmakers stated they “found no evidence” they or their members were served with the emergency motion filed by Brown’s attorney nor were they given a chance to object.
The legislative probe stems from broader scrutiny of North Carolina’s criminal justice system, pretrial release policies like cashless bail and mental health holds, as well as the release of repeat violent offenders like Brown, who was free when he allegedly murdered Zarutska despite prior arrests earlier in 2025.
In response to these issues, legislative leaders signaled last September the General Assembly would enact criminal justice reforms. Around the same time, a Sept. 30 state audit of CATS found that security had been cut by 40% in the years leading up to Zarutska’s murder.
By the end of September, lawmakers passed Iryna’s Law, which Gov. Josh Stein signed on Oct. 3, 2025.
Iryna’s Law ends cashless bail for certain defendants and limits the discretion of magistrates and judges to release a person on a promissory note to appear before the court, as was the case with Brown. The law creates a pretrial release “violent offense” category requiring a secured bond or GPS-monitored house arrest for first-time offenders, and mandatory house arrest and monitoring for repeat offenders.
Under Iryna’s Law, judicial officers must order a mental health evaluation for those charged with a violent crime who have either been involuntarily committed within a three-year period or if it is evident the person is experiencing a current mental health crisis. If an evaluation finds the person may be a danger to the public, an involuntary commitment process is required before any pretrial release is decided.
Four days before Stein signed Iryna’s Law, the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight held a field hearing in Charlotte which focused on violent crime in the Charlotte area and repeat offenders being set free through “lenient pretrial release policies.” The hearing was marked by angry testimony from victims’ families like Steve Federico, father of murder victim Logan Federico.
“She was 5-foot-3. She weighed 115 pounds. Bang. Dead. Gone. Why?” asked Federico. “Because Alexander Devonte Dickey, who was arrested 39 goddamn times, 25 felonies, was on the street.”
Last fall, House Speaker Rep. Destin Hall (R-Granite Falls) also established a Select Committee on Involuntary Commitment and Public Safety. The 18-member committee will “study and make recommendations” on the “intersection of mental health services, involuntary commitment processes, and the safety of the general public.”
