CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Michigan News Source) – A North Carolina magistrate judge, who has generated international headlines for letting a man go free based on a “written promise” he’d return to court but then went on to allegedly murder a 23-year-woman, has Michigan ties.
Who is Judge Teresa Stokes?
Teresa Stokes is the North Carolina magistrate judge who attended Cooley Law School and worked in Michigan. She also has owned and operated two Michigan businesses focused on sobriety.
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Many news stories are questioning Stokes’ decision to let Decarlos Brown Jr. go free on Jan. 21, 2025.
Brown appeared before Judge Stokes on a misdemeanor charge of misuse of the 911 system. She let him go with the written promise he’d return, according to The National News Desk.
Seven months later, Brown allegedly stabbed Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zaruska to death in Charlotte on Aug. 22 after she got off work. Brown has been charged with murder.
Brown has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been arrested at least 14 times for felony charges such as possession of a firearm by felon and robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to The National News Desk. He had also been arrested for assaulting his sister.
Newsweek, Fox News and the Daily Mail have all reported on the case. On Monday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about the case.
Judge Stokes: from law school to the courtroom and a small business.
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After graduating from Cooley Law School, Stokes became a client services specialist at the Community Mental Health Authority of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties, according to various online websites that have profiled her. Some of Stokes’ online accounts, such as LinkedIn, have been taken down.
Stokes is listed online as the co-owner and director of Pinnacle Recovery Services, a rehabilitation center for men recovering from addiction located in Lansing. As of its most recent filing with the IRS in 2023, Pinnacle Recovery Services listed Stokes as the vice president secretary with an annual salary of $69,062.
WZZM reported in 2021 that Stokes and her wife, Ayanna Ballard, opened Wing Heaven Sports Haven restaurant, which was promoted as the state’s first sober bar. The restaurant’s Facebook page said on Nov. 6, 2022, that it was closing.
What’s next for Judge Stokes?
Fox News reported that the Republican members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation want Stokes to be removed as a judge. The 10 House Republicans signed a letter asking for formal proceedings to remove Stokes.
The Washington Examiner reported that Stokes was appointed and supervised by the chief district judge in Mecklenburg County. The Washington Examiner reported that Stokes “is not a licensed attorney or a member of the North Carolina State Bar, although magistrates in the state are not required to be. Under law, magistrates may qualify with a four-year college degree or a two-year associate degree and four years of experience in a related field.”