The tragic murder of Iryna Zarutska by repeat criminal Decarlos Brown Jr is the latest, most high profile murder in Charlotte that sheds light on some of the issues in liberal-run cities and counties.
Several outlets have reported on Brown’s lengthy criminal record, including an arrest in January of this year for misuse of the 911 system. Following Brown’s arrest this January he was released without bail with a “written promise to appear” by magistrate Teresa Stokes. This cashless bail was given to Brown despite 14 years of criminal activity, including robbery with a dangerous weapon, illegally possessing a firearm, and shoplifting.
The series of events leading to Brown being on the streets and murdering Zarutska are not an isolated incident in Charlotte. On June 16th 2024 Raphael Omar Wright murdered Michelle Schechter, and was arrested four days later and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree forcible rape. Liberal judge Jennifer Fleet set Wright’s bond for the extraordinarily low amount of $50,000, which Wright was able to post. Following public outcry in July 2024 another judge raised the bond for Wright from $50,000 to $850,000. Wright’s case is still ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for December 11, 2025 as of now.
In September 2023 John Alexander was accused of sexually assaulting a student at Belmont Abbey College, which is in Gaston County. Alexander turned himself in two days later in Mecklenburg County, where he was given a $50,000 bail by a magistrate, which he posted the following day. Gaston County Judge Ed Bogle later increased his bond to $500,000 and Alexander was taken into custody once again. Alexander was convicted in June 2024.
These artificially low bonds and cashless bails set by magistrates were specifically addressed by bipartisan legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly in 2023, The Pretrial Integrity Act. Sponsors included seven House members from Mecklenburg County of both parties, Speaker Destin Hall, and Rep. Abe Jones, a former District Court Judge in Wake County. Passed with bipartisan majorities in both chambers, the law took effect October 1st, 2023. The law clarifies the process for setting bonds for those accused of violent crimes, and cracks down on repeat offenders charged with violent crimes.
This may seem like common sense legislation, but as these tragic events show, the General Assembly will need to do more to protect the public from head-scratching, anti-safety decisions by liberal court officials that endanger innocent people.
