America


BROWN


ZARUTSKA


Refugee’s Murder Sparks Anger at Reckless Judges


Iryna Zarutska’s killer had 14 arrests before he was freed once again.


T BY ALICE GIORDANO


he horrific murder of 23-year-old ukrai- nian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train in August has cast yet another spotlight on the unbridled power of judges and how they some-


times use it to issue reckless orders. Her alleged killer — three-time convicted felon Decarlos


Brown — had appeared before numerous judges before he was freed once again, this time by Magistrate Teresa Stokes on a “written promise” he’d come back for his hearing. “It seems as though there are certain members of the


judiciary who don’t view themselves as a coequal branch, and that in my mind is the fundamental problem,” says Jake Curtis, general counsel for the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG). Some judges, he said, instead think they are part of a


superior hierarchy in the separation of powers. The problem, he says, signals a potential need to recon-


struct the separation of powers and adopt more definitions of what “doesn’t” shield judges.


16 NEWSMAX | NOVEMBER 2025 “If we have a problem with judges exercising discretion


and allowing individuals out to commit further acts that shouldn’t be out, then it’s incumbent upon the legislative branch to fix that and not allow these judges to have that sort of level of discretion,” he said. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., says it’s high time for lawmak-


ers to pass legislation that bypasses judicial immunity when judges render rulings that lead to deadly or harmful con- sequences — deeming Zarutska’s murder as the last straw. Stokes’ decision to free a dangerous man on a “prom-


ise” punctuates a growing, lengthy list of similar lethal consequences of judges using their power to free violent offenders. Last year, Maine Judge Sarah Churchill ignored warn-


ings from law enforcement, prosecutors, and even family members that Leein Hinkley would be a danger if released to the public. She instead suspended the rest of his jail sentence for a


2011 violent attack of a woman and freed him on a low-cash bail on new violent charges against yet another woman while he was out on probation. A week later, a man’s remains were found from a fire


Hinkley set in the house of an ex-girlfriend after he tried to break in.


BROWN/HANDOUT PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE MECKLENBURG COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE / ZARUTSKA/INSTAGRAM/IRYNA ZARUTSKA FIRE/RUSS DILLINGHAM/SUN JOURNAL VIA AP IMAGES


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112