How Iryna Zarutska's vicious murder is already opening doors in the Democratic Party for one lawyer

While the criminal case against the man accused of murdering Iryna Zarutska proceeds through the federal court system, one attorney representing the defendant is also running for office — as a Democrat.

On September 25, just over a month after Zarutska was brutally slain on a North Carolina subway, Joshua Snow Kendrick was appointed to be "learned counsel" to the man accused of murdering her: Decarlos Brown Jr. Kendrick was added to the defense team, U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan Rodriguez wrote, because defendants in capital cases have the right to an attorney who is "sufficiently experienced in providing representation in death penalty eligible offenses."

Thus far, Kendrick has released few details about his platform.

The appointment has kept Kendrick busy. He has filed motion and after motion on behalf of Brown, including two motions in January to prevent the release of police bodycam video and other evidence to the media.

Yet Kendrick has still found time to launch a political campaign for the state House of South Carolina. Election records confirm that on March 26, Kendrick filed to run as a Democrat for South Carolina House District 22.

The email address that Kendrick included in his filing is the same email address listed on some of the motions filed in Brown's capital murder case.

In response to a request for comment, Kendrick told Blaze News:

I was appointed by a federal judge in the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division, to represent Mr. Brown last September, long before I decided to run for office. The two have nothing to do with each other. I have had (and currently have) a number of high-profile cases. I find it disheartening that my representation of Mr. Brown would be used against me in a political campaign. That allegation is highly disrespectful to the victim's family and the system under which we live.

But maybe more concerning is that this would have any political implication. Defendants' representation is not some radical belief I hold. It was written directly into the Constitution by the founding fathers. The second we decide some people do not deserve rights (regardless of how unpopular they may be), we start down a path where no one has rights. The most difficult and unpopular cases become a stress test for whether we really believe in the Constitution or freely disregard it when it becomes hard to live up to. Based on what I am reading on the internet over the last few days, we are failing that stress test.

RELATED: Crucial detail about Iryna Zarutska's suspected murderer may ease online outrage after 'incompetency' ruling

Peter Zay/Anadolu/Getty Images

The deadline to file to run for office in South Carolina this year has already passed, so Kendrick is set to sail through the Democratic primary on June 9 unopposed. But if incumbent state Rep. Paul Wickensimer can prevail in the Republican primary, he will be a formidable opponent for Kendrick come November.

District 22 is located just outside downtown Greenville and is considered solidly Republican. Wickensimer defeated his Democratic opponent by a decisive 60%-39.8% margin in 2024, and a Republican has held the seat since at least 2012, according to Ballotpedia.

Ballotpedia and BallotReady pages for Kendrick list only the 2026 South Carolina House District 22 race, suggesting he has never run for political office until now.

Thus far, Kendrick has released few details about his platform.

His ActBlue donation page reads:

Chip in today to support me for South Carolina House of Representatives. I am running to give you a voice in your government. It's time to stop being ignored by our elected officials.

The website for the South Carolina Democratic Party lists Kendrick as the Democratic candidate for District 22 but otherwise gives no information about him. The party did not respond to a request for comment.

Decarlos Brown was declared mentally incompetent in the state case against him but still faces a federal charge of one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. If convicted, he could receive the death penalty.

H/T: Matt Van Swol

Editor's note: This article has been edited after publication to include a statement from Josh Kendrick.

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