{"id":2484674,"date":"2025-09-10T11:36:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-had-woeful-credentials\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T11:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:38:08","slug":"judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-had-woeful-credentials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-had-woeful-credentials\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Who Freed Charlotte Stabbing Suspect Had Woeful Credentials"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-had-woeful-credentials%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2484674&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a controversial decision by Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in a fatal Charlotte, North Carolina train stabbing, months before the incident. Brown, a diagnosed schizophrenic with a long criminal record including armed robbery and multiple arrests, was released on a promise to appear in court despite concerns about his violent and unstable behavior. The decision has drawn criticism from several U.S. representatives who have called for Stokes&#8217; removal, accusing her of failing to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/seattle-suburb-backs-down-from-ban-on-abortion-clinic-protesters\/\" title=\"Seattle Suburb Backs Down From Ban on Abortion Clinic Protesters\">protect public safety<\/a>. The article also highlights low eligibility standards for magistrate judges in North Carolina and points out Stokes&#8217; background in social services rather than law, suggesting that her credentials align with a system that allows such low judicial requirements.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3mMHHDpkzGc\">MassLive\/ Youtube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-has-exactly-the-credentials-youd-expect\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Judge%20Who%20Freed%20Charlotte%20Stabbing%20Suspect%20Has%20Exactly%20The%20Credentials%20You%E2%80%99d%20Expect&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-has-exactly-the-credentials-youd-expect\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Judge%20Who%20Freed%20Charlotte%20Stabbing%20Suspect%20Has%20Exactly%20The%20Credentials%20You%E2%80%99d%20Expect&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-has-exactly-the-credentials-youd-expect\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-has-exactly-the-credentials-youd-expect\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Judge%20Who%20Freed%20Charlotte%20Stabbing%20Suspect%20Has%20Exactly%20The%20Credentials%20You%E2%80%99d%20Expect&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/10\/judge-who-freed-charlotte-stabbing-suspect-has-exactly-the-credentials-youd-expect\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The Charlotte, North Carolina train stabbing that left 23-year old Ukrainian national Iryna Zarutska dead is now raising questions not just about the suspect, but about the judge who let him back on the streets months earlier. <\/p>\n<p>Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes released Decarlos Brown Jr. in January on his &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-blames-murder-of-iryna-zaruska-on-coopers-crime-policies\/\" title=\"Trump blames murder of Iryna Zaruska on Cooper&#039;s crime policies\">written promise&#038;rdquo<\/a>; that he would re-appear to court for a hearing on his Class 1 misdemeanor charge that &ldquo;arose after Brown became combative with police officers,&rdquo; according to a letter sent by <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepTimMooreNC\/status\/1965417942763688346\">ten<\/a> U.S. representatives to North Carolina Chief Judge Roy H. Wiggins. Brown &mdash; a diagnosed schizophrenic &mdash; told officers that &ldquo;man-made&rdquo; materials were implanted inside of him and controlling him, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3797645\/judge-who-released-charlotte-light-rail-killer-has-history-of-addiction-activism\/\">according<\/a> to The Washington Examiner. Officers reportedly told Brown he was experiencing a medical emergency and left, with Brown calling 911 again. He was charged with a Class 1 misdemeanor for abusing the emergency line.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-193524497\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>That decision ignored Brown&rsquo;s lengthy rap sheet: Brown had previously been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbtv.com\/2025\/08\/29\/accused-charlotte-light-rail-killer-remain-jail-undergo-competency-evaluation-judge-orders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">convicted of<\/a>&nbsp;with armed robbery, breaking and entering, shoplifting, and felony larceny, and had been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/decarlos-brown-jr-criminal-record-what-we-know-about-suspect-charlotte-stabbing-2126423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested&nbsp;<\/a>14 times. Brown&rsquo;s own mother also condemned the court system for releasing her son, who she said she kicked out of her home due to his aggression, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/decarlos-brown-mother-murder-iryna-zarutska-2126414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to Newsweek.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. representatives are asking that Stokes be removed from office &ldquo;for 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.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Despite the history of violent and unstable behavior, Magistrate Stokes released Brown without requiring bond or imposing any meaningful conditions to safeguard the public,&rdquo; the letter alleges. <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This reckless decision had devastating consequences,&rdquo; the letter continued. <\/p>\n<p>Part of the outrage stems from Stokes&rsquo; background. Stokes went to what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/magazine\/story\/2018\/05\/04\/trump-michael-cohen-lawyer-cooley-law-school-218318\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Politico Magazine<\/a> described as the &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >worst law school<\/a> in America,&rdquo; Cooley Law School. A cursory search does not show that Stokes passed the North Carolina bar, though one explanation could be that she was admitted to the bar through the state&rsquo;s Admission on Motion program, which permits attorneys to be barred without passing the bar exam. The Board of Law Examiners of the State of North Carolina did not return a request for comment regarding whether Stokes took and\/or passed the exam.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of bars, however, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncleg.gov\/enactedlegislation\/statutes\/pdf\/bysection\/chapter_7a\/gs_7a-171.2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bar to be a magistrate judge<\/a> in general is rather low. Individuals do <em>not<\/em> need to be attorneys or attend law school. Eligibility requirements include having &ldquo;eight years&rsquo; experience&rdquo; as a superior court clerk or law enforcement officer, a four year-degree <em>or<\/em> a two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-who-previously-released-charlotte-light-rail-killer-under-fire\/\" title=\"Judge who previously ... Charlotte light rail killer under fire\">year associate degree<\/a> and four years of work experience in a related field.<\/p>\n<p>Stokes &ldquo;experience&rdquo; appears to stem from her time in social services. Stokes is the &ldquo;Co-Owner and Director at Pinnacle Recovery Services,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/theorg.com\/org\/community-mental-health-authority-of-clinton-eaton-ingham-counties\/org-chart\/teresa-stokes-jd-ma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to The Org. She is also the co-owner of Wing Heaven Sports Haven, which is described by The Org as a &ldquo;sober sports bar.&rdquo; She has past experience as a &ldquo;Client Services Specialist&rdquo; at the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties as well as a past coordinator of behavior health at Child and Family Charities, according to The Org.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the judge who freed a violent, unstable offender back into the public had exactly the kind of credentials one might expect from a system where the standards are so low. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/charlotte\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Charlotte<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/crime\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Crime<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/north-carolina\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">North Carolina<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/robbery\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">robbery<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/stabbing\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">stabbing<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Charlotte train stabbing raises questions about judge too<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2484675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/iryna-entering-train-scaled-e1757515785987.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[62997,49429,50433,4230],"class_list":["post-2484674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-charlotte-stabbing","tag-credentials","tag-judge-2","tag-suspect"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/iryna-entering-train-scaled-e1757515785987.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2484674"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484674\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2484678,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2484674\/revisions\/2484678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2484675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2484674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2484674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2484674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}