5 things to know about the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska

1. The suspect was a career criminal with documented mental illness

In a letter to the Chief Judge of the North Carolina Judicial District 26 on Tuesday, Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., and North Carolina’s nine other Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives noted that Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes had released Brown from custody in January over a “written promise” to appear in court at a later date.

The letter said Brown had over a dozen prior arrests on his criminal record, including for possession of a firearm by a felon, robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault of his sister. 

Brown was also arrested for committing a robbery with a dangerous weapon, which led to him serving a five-year prison sentence. Brown’s appearance before Stokes came after he was arrested for being “combative with police officers.”

The letter called for the initiation of removal proceedings against Stokes over what federal lawmakers characterized as her “willful and persistent failure to perform the duties of the office” and “conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into dispute” by releasing Brown. 

Joe Bruno of the local news outlet WSOC-TV shared details about a conversation one of his colleagues had with Brown’s mother in an Aug. 27 X post. The suspect’s mother detailed how her son began “saying weird things” following his release from prison on the armed robbery charge, which prompted her to successfully secure an involuntary commitment order from the courts. 

Despite his diagnosis with schizophrenia, Brown was released from psychiatric care. The suspect’s aggressive behavior led to his mother kicking him out, thereby making him homeless.