Before murdering the Ukrainian refugee girl, Brown was granted bail without bail by a judge, despite having 14 criminal records and a history of mental illness.

Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian girl who is a refugee in the United States, was stabbed to death by homeless man Decarlos Brown on a subway in Charlotte, North Carolina on August 22.

The incident recently became the focus of attention and controversy in U.S. politics over efforts to crack down on crime, after a video of Brown’s murder of Zarutska was released by authorities. One of the most controversial pieces of information is how the U.S. justice system treats Brown, who regularly goes to prison for crimes and has a history of mental illness.

Since 2007, Brown has been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina on a variety of charges, ranging from assault and possession of a weapon to theft of property to armed robbery.

Earlier this year, Brown called the police hotline, claiming that there were “artificial materials that were controlling his behavior from the inside.” After police said there was nothing they could do, Brown became angry, repeatedly calling 911, leading to his arrest on Jan. 19 on charges of misusing the emergency number.

Brown’s mother told local media that her son suffered from schizophrenia and should not have been allowed to roam the streets. However, Brown was granted bail by North Carolina Judge Teresa Stokes, who was required to sign a pledge to appear at the hearings, instead of posting bail.

The fact that Judge Stokes allowed Brown to be released on bail confused many people, because this man had previously served a 5-year prison sentence from 2014 for armed robbery. After completing his prison term, Brown continued to be arrested for assaulting his sister at home.

With this judge’s decision, Brown was free to roam the streets, until he murdered Zarutska. After his arrest, Brown was held without bail at the Mecklenburg County Jail.

“This is a tragic failure of the courts and judges. We arrest people just so they can be released quickly, undermining our ability to protect the community. We need a bipartisan solution to address this problem, as well as the issue of untreated mental patients being allowed on the streets,” said Mayor Charlotte Vi Lyles.

Decarlos Brown Jr. (left) and Ukrainian girl Iryna Zarutska. Photo: Newsweek

Many Americans were surprised to learn about Judge Stokes’ release order. “Brown is homeless, where is he going to go after release? This is a huge failure. Brown had no one by his side, his mother also left me because he was too violent,” said Zarutska’s neighbor in Charlotte.

The murder of the Ukrainian girl also exposed serious security gaps in Charlotte’s public transportation system. Brown is accused of evading tickets, on both buses and trains.

Local police have stopped overseeing the Charlotte Public Transportation System (CATS) since December of last year, when CATS hired private security. The contract employs 218 security personnel across the system, but up to 15% of positions are unfounded.

Charlotte City Council members also addressed the issue of crime on CATS during the meeting a few days after the attack. Many warned their constituents to feel unsafe riding buses and trains in the city.

“This is very worrying. Clearly the city’s current safety policy is not enough,” warned Dimple Ajmera, a Charlotte City Council member.