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1h ago

Victims Press Tougher Pretrial Rules at Charlotte House Hearing After Train Killing

The session sharpened focus on a state bill limiting cashless release that now awaits Gov. Josh Stein's decision.

Steve Federico gathers himself as he waits to testify about his daughter Logan Federico, who was murdered, during The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight field hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
A light rail train passes by as community members gather for a vigil honoring the life of Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Mia Alderman testifies about the murder of her granddaughter Mary Santina Collins during at the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight hearing on violent crime in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Flowers and photos are left near the tracks where Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on a commuter train last month, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Overview

  • Families of victims, including the father of 22-year-old Logan Federico, delivered emotional testimony urging stricter policies on repeat offenders and pretrial release.
  • Lawmakers examined the Aug. 22 stabbing of Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail car; suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. had more than a dozen prior arrests and was released in January on a written promise to appear.
  • Brown now faces a state first-degree murder charge and a federal count, both of which can carry the death penalty, according to testimony summarized at the hearing.
  • Democrats argued funding shortfalls for prosecutors, courts and mental-health services drive system failures, while Republicans faulted judicial discretion and cashless release practices.
  • Rep. Deborah Ross apologized after mistakenly identifying a photo of Logan Federico as Zarutska, a moment that underscored the hearing’s tensions as North Carolina’s legislature-passed “Iryna’s Law” sits on the governor’s desk.