A North Carolina magistrate judge is under fire for allowing a schizophrenic, repeat offender to walk free without bond, seven months before he fatally stabbed a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light rail train in an unprovoked attack that has horrified the community.

Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes released DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, on Jan. 21 on a “written promise to appear” after he was arrested on charges of misusing the 911 system during a police welfare check. Brown, who is homeless and diagnosed with schizophrenia, told officers he believed “man-made” material was implanted in his body, controlling his movements. He had been arrested many times previously.