Charlotte Light Rail Murder: Ukrainian Refugee Killed by Criminal Judge Released Without Bail

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Hey, fellow Patriots. I know this isn't the entry I usually do, but I must address the killing of Charlie Kirk yesterday. When I recorded the episode that will start after this, I was unaware of Charlie's passing. From everything I know about Charlie, he wouldn't want any of us to stop the fight. I contemplated not even posting today, but I know that's not what he would have wanted. Being in my 40s,

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I wasn't part of Charlie's core demographic, but I loved his passion for the Lord and how he embraced debate. When he was shot, he was doing what he did best, engaging with young people, defending conservative values on a college campus.

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I'm devastated by this news and my heart aches. He was a true pillar in conservative media. And though I never met him, someone I deeply respected for his command of debate and his unwavering love of Jesus Christ. Charlie's murder yesterday and the story I'm about to tell you about Charlotte are connected by the same thread. The complete breakdown of law and order that's making good people unsafe in America.

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Charlie died defending our values. The least we can do is continue exposing the truth in his memory. So today's episode about failed judges and broken justice isn't just about Charlotte anymore. It's about the America that failed to protect patriots like Charlie Kirk.

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When I'm ready, I will come back to this topic.

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My prayers are now with Charlie's wife and two daughters. Charlie, you will be missed and never forgotten. Now, this will switch to the normal episode. Good Thursday morning, Patriots, and welcome back to O'Connor's Right Stand. I'm your host, John O'Connor, software programmer by day, conservative truth seeker by night. How's everyone's week going? Mine has been absolutely chaotic, and now I'm just eyeing the weekend.

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Outside of work, my focus has been on this podcast and SEO, sorry, kind of nerding out there, that is search engine optimization, essentially how to get Google and Light to comb through my data to find information and then rank it amongst other sites. If you haven't been, please head over to o'connor'srightstand.com and check it out. Let me know what you think. It's still in the beginning stages of development, but there is a contact form there now. I'd love to hear your thoughts, so when you get a minute, or two,

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Head on over. And I'm going to warn you, I've had a migraine most of the day and now I'm sipping on some delicious coffee to help it go away. So I apologize in advance if I have a little more energy than normal. You've been warned. Today, I'm covering a story that's been gaining national attention over the last several days. And this one hits incredibly close to home for me. We're diving into the absolutely horrific murder of Erna Zyrutská, a 23 year old Ukrainian refugee.

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who fled a war zone only to be brutally stabbed to death on Charlotte's light rail by a criminal who never should have been walking free.

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Why does this touch home? Because I lived in Charlotte for years. I moved there right around when the light rail system opened and left about eight or nine years ago. I rode those trains frequently. I know that system inside and out. Here's what makes this even more personal. Just this past July 4th weekend, my fiance and I took that exact same light rail from downtown Charlotte back to the university area where our hotel was. This was roughly six weeks before

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Zyrutska was murdered. Six weeks. When we boarded around 11 p.m. that night, I immediately went into protection mode. We headed straight to the back of the car and I had her sit on the inside against the window. There were sketchy people on that train and I was eyeing every single one of them thinking to myself, if something goes down, at least I can buy her enough time to get away. You know what I didn't see? Security, police officers.

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Even waiting on the platform. Nothing. The whole time I'm thinking, where is the help? This isn't safe. I looked at my fiance and I knew in my gut that no woman should be on these trains after 6 p.m. without a man with her. Or at least a large group. And yes, I just said that because it's the truth. Six weeks later, Erna Zyrutska was murdered on that same line. Six weeks. And Patriots

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When I tell you about the judge who let this monster loose on the streets and the system that allows people with zero legal training to make life and death decisions, you're going to understand exactly what's wrong with our so-called justice system. President Trump spoke about this case earlier this week, calling it horrible and saying the blood is on the hands of Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail. He's absolutely right. This was a completely preventable murder.

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The right stand starts now.

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Patriots, let me paint you a picture of what happened on August 22nd at around 9.50 p.m. on Charlotte's light rail system. Erna Zyrutska, a beautiful 23-year-old woman who had fled the horrors of war in Ukraine to find safety in America, was riding the blue line home from her job at Zabiri's Pizzeria. Not sure that was there when I was living in Charlotte. She was still wearing her uniform, scrolling through her phone, minding her own business.

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when pure evil sat down behind her. That evil was 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., a career criminal with 14 previous arrests, including armed robbery, assault, and firearm charges. Brown didn't know Zrutska. They had never met. There was no argument, no provocation, nothing. For four minutes, this monster sat behind this innocent young woman, and then he pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed her three times in the throat.

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The surveillance video shows the entire horrific attack. Patreots watching this innocent woman's final moments, seeing her grab her throat as blood pours out, watching this monster calmly walk away. It's something that will haunt you. And it should haunt every single person who had a hand in letting this animal roam free. Zyrutskha was pronounced dead on the train at 10.05 PM.

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She had escaped a war zone in Ukraine only to be murdered by a predator who should have been locked up years ago. Her family said she came to America seeking safety and a new beginning. Instead, she found death because our justice system failed her catastrophically. Now, here's where this story gets even more infuriating. The reason Decarlos Brown was free to murder Zyrutska is because of a magistrate judge named

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Teresa Stokes. Back in January, Brown was arrested for misusing the 911 system after he called police claiming that man-made materials were controlling his body. The man is clearly mentally ill and dangerous, with a rap sheet longer than a CVS receipt. But here's what Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes did. She released this violent mentally ill criminal

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based solely on his written promise to appear in court. No bond, no conditions, no monitoring. Just as word that he'd show up. A homeless schizophrenic with 14 prior arrests promises to come back to court and this judge says, sure, sounds good. Patriots, Brown's criminal history includes armed robbery with dangerous weapon, breaking and entering.

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assault on his own sister, firearm charges, and multiple other violent offenses. In 2014, he was sentenced to five years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon. His own mother had tried to get him involuntarily committed because she knew he was dangerous. And yet, Teresa Stokes looked at all of this and decided that Brown posed no threat to the community. Seven months later, Zrudzka

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bled to death on that train car because of that decision. Now here's the kicker that's going to blow your mind. Teresa Stokes isn't even a lawyer. That's right. In North Carolina, magistrate judges who make decisions about whether dangerous criminals walk free or stay locked up don't have to have a law degree. They don't have to have studied law. All they need is a bachelor's degree or an associate's degree plus four years of related experience.

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Let me drill this down on the magistrate issue, because one, it's not being talked about that much, but two, it's bigger than just North Carolina. Patriots, you're going to be shocked when I tell you how widespread this insanity really is. According to a comprehensive study by Columbia Law Review, a staggering 32 states allow at least some low-level state court judges to make legal decisions without law degrees. 32 states.

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And this is going to get long. But these states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and several others. In 17 of these states,

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Judges with no legal training are permitted to decide eviction cases, meaning they can literally make people homeless without understanding housing law. But let me tell you about some of the most absurd examples. In South Carolina, nearly 75 % of magistrate judges don't have law degrees. To become a magistrate there, you need a four-year degree and to have to pass what they call a basic competency exam.

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Patriots, a reporter actually took this test. It was a 12-minute online multiple-choice exam. 12 freaking minutes. You need more time to order a pizza than it takes to qualify to be a judge in South Carolina. In Texas, justices of the peace handle everything from bail decisions to conducting inquests into suspicious deaths. These are serious legal responsibilities that require real knowledge of constitutional law

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criminal procedure, and evidence rules. But in many Texas counties, the person making these decisions never went to law school and might not even have a college degree. No legal education required whatsoever. Here's the absolute peak of this insanity. In Georgia, probate judges in counties with populations under 90,000 only need to be US citizens over 25 with just a high school diploma.

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That's it. A high school diploma to decide complex legal matters involving wills, estates, and family disputes. Think about the irony here. If you want to practice law in any of these states, you need to graduate from law school, pass the bar exam, and maintain continuing legal education. But if you want to decide whether someone's accused of a crime should be released on bail, no legal education required?

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The training requirements for these positions are laughably inadequate. In North Carolina, new magistrates get 40 hours of training. In Texas, justices of the peace need eight hours of training on magistrate duties. Just eight hours. You need more training to operate a forklift than you do to make bail decisions.

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Now, let's talk about how President Trump has handled this tragedy, because it shows exactly the kind of leadership we need. When Trump first heard about this case, he immediately called it horrible and promised to know all the details by the next morning. Then, when the surveillance video was released, Trump didn't mince words. He posted on Truth Social.

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I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful young Ukrainian refugee who came to America to escape the vicious war in Ukraine and was innocently riding the metro in Charlotte, North Carolina where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. He pointed out the obvious questions that local officials were trying to avoid. The perpetrator was a well-known career criminal.

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who had been previously arrested and released on cashless bail in January. A total of 14 times. What the hell was he doing riding the train and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be locked up." Trump also made the connection to failed democratic policies. And I quote,

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The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer's knife, and now her blood is on the hands of Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail." This is exactly the kind of moral clarity we need from our leaders. While local Democrats were making excuses and talking about root causes, Trump was asking the simple question, why was this dangerous criminal free to hurt innocent people?

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Attorney General Pam Boddy announced that the Department of Justice would be seeking federal charges against Brown and pursuing the maximum penalty. She called the attack a direct result of failed soft on crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.

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The good news is that real conservatives in Congress aren't letting this slide. North Carolina Congressman Tim Moore is leading the charge, along with nine other House Republicans, calling for the formal removal of Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes. These lawmakers sent a letter demanding that Stokes be removed from office for willful and persistent failure to perform the duties of the office. They point out that despite Brown's extensive criminal history, mental illness,

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and lacked of a fixed address. Stokes let him go with no bond and no conditions. Congressman Tim Moore said it perfectly. This tragedy was preventable. There must be accountability. North Carolinians deserve better. Florida Representative Randy Fine is taking it even further. He's introducing legislation to hold judges accountable when violent repeat offenders they release commit new crimes.

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Fein said, it's easy to release criminals when you're protected by an armed bailiff at all times. The rest of us aren't so lucky. The Trump administration isn't just treating this as a local crime. They're treating it as a national transportation safety issue. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that the federal government is looking into whether Charlotte should lose federal transit funding because they can't keep their trains safe.

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If mayors can't keep their trains and buses safe, they don't deserve the taxpayers' money, Duffy said. FBI Director Cash Patel revealed that the FBI has been investigating this case from day one, and that there are federal implications. The Justice Department has now charged Brown with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system which carries a potential death penalty.

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But then you have the local democrats doing what they always do, making excuses and trying to cover up their failures. Charlotte Mayor Lyles initially released a mealy-mouthed thanking the media for not sharing the video out of respect for Zarudskos family. Respect for the family? How about respect for the truth? How about accountability for the policies that got this woman killed? The mayor later tried to deflect by saying this should

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force us to look at what we are doing across our community to address root causes, and that we will never arrest our way out of issues such as homelessness and mental health. Patriots, this is liberal speak for, it's not our fault we let a dangerous criminal walk free. Here's a root cause for you Mayor Lyles. Your justice system released a violent, mentally ill, career criminal who should have been locked up. That's not a complex sociological problem.

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that's basic competence in protecting public safety. Current governor, Josh Stein, also took heed for initially staying silent about the murder. It took days of social media pressure before he finally issued a statement calling for more police officers. Too little, too late. Patriots, the Charlotte light rail murder exposes fundamental problems with our justice system. We have a system that prioritizes the rights of criminals over the safety of law-abiding citizens. And until we fix that,

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We're going to see more tragedies like this. First, we need to stop allowing unqualified people to make qualified decisions. If you want to make bail determinations, warrant decisions, and other legal rulings, you should have to be a licensed attorney, period. The idea that someone with no legal training can decide whether a violent criminal should be released is absolutely insane. Second, we need accountability for judges who make reckless decisions.

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When a judge releases a dangerous criminal who goes on to commit more crimes, there should be consequences. Right now, judges hide behind judicial immunity and never face any repercussions for their failures.

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Third, we need to get back to the basic principle that the purpose of the justice system is to protect innocent people, not to provide therapy for criminals. Mental illness doesn't excuse violence, and it certainly doesn't mean someone should be walking free to hurt others.

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This case is also going to have major political implications, especially in North Carolina. President Trump specifically called out former governor Roy Cooper, who's now running for Senate, as being responsible for the soft on crime policies that led to this tragedy. Elections have consequences. When you elect Democrats who prioritize criminals over victims, innocent people die. Patriots, the murder of Zaruzka

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should haunt every American who believes in justice and the rule of law. This beautiful young woman escaped a war zone only to be murdered by a monster who should have been locked up. She came to America seeking safety and found death because our justice system failed her catastrophically. The surveillance video of her final moments is horrific and heartbreaking, but it's also a wake-up call.

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This is what happens when we let unqualified people make qualified decisions. This is what happens when we prioritize the comfort of criminals over the safety of law-abiding citizens. Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes should be removed from office immediately. She should never again be allowed to make decisions that affect public safety. The fact that she released a violent, mentally ill, homeless career criminal based solely on his PROMISE to return to court shows a level of incompetence

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that borders on criminal negligence. But removing one bad judge isn't enough. We need systemic reform that ensures that only qualified people make legal decisions, that holds judges accountable for their failures, and that prioritizes public safety over political correctness. President Trump has shown exactly the kind of leadership we need in moments like this. He spoke truth to power.

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called out the failed policies that led to this tragedy, and demanded accountability from the people responsible. That's simply what real leadership looks like. The blood of Zaruzka is on the hands of every Democrat politician who has supported soft-on-crime policies, every judge who has prioritized criminals over victims, and every activist who has pushed the lie that the justice system is too tough on criminals rather than too easy. Patriots

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The fight for justice is never easy, but it's always worth it. When evil shows its face, and as clearly as it did on that Charlotte Light Rail train, we have a choice. We can make excuses and look the other way, or we can demand accountability and fight for change. I know which side I'm on. The question is, which side are you on? Well, that's a wrap for this episode of O'Connor's Right Stand.

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Share this with someone who needs to hear the truth about what's really happening in our justice system. Find me on X at O'Connor Stan, check out the website at O'Connor'sRightStan.com, and like and subscribe to keep this important conversation going. Remember, patriots, when the system fails this spectacularly, silence isn't an option. When innocent people die because of failed policies, accountability isn't optional. And when evil shows its face this clearly,

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Justice isn't negotiable. This is John O'Connor, signing off. Until next time, Patriots.