By Kate Plummer

Copyright newsweek

North Carolina Republicans have demanded the removal of Judge Teresa Stokes after it emerged that she presided over a previous case involving Decarlos Brown Jr. months before he was accused of murdering a Ukrainian refugee.In a letter to the Chief Judge of North Carolina Judicial District 26, Roy H. Wiggins, 10 Republicans questioned Stokes, a magistrate judge for the Charlotte District in Mecklenburg County Court, North Carolina, over her decision to release Brown in a case earlier this year. They said this decision gave “grounds for removal.”Newsweek contacted Mecklenburg County Court via email outside of normal office hours for comment.The ContextBrown, 34, has been charged with the murder of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22, on the Lynx Blue Line light rail near the Camden Road area in Charlotte’s South End shortly before 10 p.m.On Tuesday, the Department of Justice said Brown had also been charged with causing death on a mass transportation system.The incident has sparked a debate about crime and safety in the U.S. as well as the extent to which authorities are succeeding in dealing with criminals. Stokes has attracted scrutiny over her involvement with Brown.In January 2025, Brown was arrested for alleged “misuse of the 911 system” and was released after signing a written promise to appear at his next court hearing, according to court documents signed by Stokes and seen by Newsweek.Records show that Brown has been arrested 14 times in over a decade and reportedly had mental health issues.He has previously been convicted of felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats, leading to a six-year prison sentence in 2015 for incidents dating to 2013 and 2014. He was released in 2020; then, months later, he was charged with assaulting his sister.What To KnowIn the letter, sent Tuesday and posted on social media, the GOP politicians said Stokes should be removed because of “willful and persistent failure to perform the duties of the office or conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute.”They added that releasing Brown “had devastating consequences” and that Zarutska’s murder was “a direct result of failure of judicial responsibility.””By releasing a repeat violent offender on nothing more than a written promise to appear, Magistrate Stokes displayed a willful failure to perform the duties of her office and engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice,” they wrote.They added: “Her decision has undermined public confidence in the judicial system and exposed the community to wholly preventable harm.”What People Are SayingNorth Carolina Republican Tim Moore wrote on X: “Today, I led a letter calling for the removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released a 14-time offender who went on to murder Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte.”This tragedy was preventable. There must be accountability. North Carolinians deserve better.”Matthew Mangino, a former district attorney in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, previously told Newsweek: “This is a tragic failure on several levels, Judge Stokes is responsible for making bail decisions. The standard is ‘will the accused appear for future proceedings’ and ‘is the accused a threat to the public.’ It would appear that Decarlos Brown, Jr. had a history of violent criminal conduct.”The unseen failure is the dismantling of community mental health care. Brown has mental health problems. Was he receiving mental health treatment while on the street? Unfortunately, for some former offenders, the only place they receive mental health care is in jail or prison,” he continued.”Should a judge send someone ‘accused’ of a crime to jail simply because they are mentally ill?”Attorney Bradley P. Moss also told Newsweek: “Living in a free society, where innocence is presumed until guilt is proven and courts assess the criminal allegation in front of them, there are unfortunate and sometimes tragic situations that can result. Even assuming the career criminal description of Decarlos Brown is accurate, the magistrate cannot simply hold someone in pretrial detention for the fun of it.”Fear-mongering and politicization will not solve this nor bring back Iryna Zarutska.”Attorney General Pam Bondi said Brown would “never again see the light of day as a free man.”What Happens NextWhether Stokes is removed remains to be seen.Meanwhile, Brown is being held without bond at the Mecklenburg County Jail. A judge had ordered a competency evaluation, according to WBTV.His next court appearance is scheduled for September 19.