Over 5 years later, a separate Charlotte stabbing case is still unresolved
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Photo: Courtesy of Mary's Voice (left) and WBTV (right)
Five years before the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska, there was the grisly case of Mary Santina Collins, a 20-year-old woman with a disability who was stabbed 133 times, wrapped in plastic and hidden in a mattress in NoDa. Her body went undiscovered for eight days.
- Three of four defendants in the case have not had a trial. One remains out of custody, while another was returned to jail last month after being out for nearly three years.
The big picture: Last month's fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the light rail in South End has ignited scrutiny of Charlotte's judicial system and public safety. But these concerns have tormented Collins' family for over half a decade.
What they're saying: For Mia Alderman, the grandmother who raised Collins, Zarutska's stabbing is retraumatizing.
- The man accused of attacking Zarutska had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, his mother said, raising concerns about whether the criminal justice system provided sufficient oversight or care. He also had a long and violent criminal record, prompting questions about whether he should have been out.
- "It's not just about two cases. It's about whether Charlotte is safe for our daughters," Alderman says. It shouldn't take so long for cases to go to trial, she adds, and violent offenders "shouldn't be walking free in our neighborhoods."
Flashback: Despite the heinous details, Collins' murder didn't receive the same national attention as Zarutska's. Collins went missing in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was consuming the news cycle.
- And unlike Zarutska's killing, there was no video footage of what happened to Collins to galvanize the public.
- Collins had 22q deletion syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by a missing section of a chromosome that causes a range of health problems. She had a cleft palate, impeding her speech, and acted younger than her age. Alderman says she was trusting and desired friendship, and her vulnerabilities made it easy to lure her to the NoDa apartment where she was found dead.
The latest: Here's where the defendants in the Collins cases stand.
- Kelly Lavery — the only person tried so far — pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2022 to at least 25 years in prison for second-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and concealment of a body.
- Lavi Pham pleaded not guilty and is still awaiting trial for first-degree murder, kidnapping and concealing a death.
- James Salerno pleaded not guilty to murder, kidnapping and concealing a death. He got out of jail in June 2023 — without electronic monitoring — and was returned to custody under bond terms, according to the sheriff's office, in August 2025.
- "He's free to go around the city of Charlotte," Alderman told WCNC in January 2023. "I think that this should shake the city of Charlotte, I really do."
- In a separate situation, Salerno was cited for a hit-and-run in April 2024. The charge was reduced to unsafe movement as part of a plea agreement.
- America Diehl, charged with accessory after the fact and concealing a death, was released on bond in 2021. She lives in South Carolina and has violated her GPS monitoring, according to online records.
State of play: Collins' case could go to trial in 2026, but nothing is currently scheduled, according to the Mecklenburg County DA's Office. The office is still working through homicide cases from 2019 and 2020, with the homicide team adjudicating an average of 126 cases annually since 2022.
- Meanwhile, new homicide cases are coming in faster than the office can keep up with, increasing by 36% since 2017.
- According to the DA's office, it takes the 12 homicide prosecutors' teams multiple weeks to get through one trial, plus six to 10 weeks of preparation.
Zoom out: The lengthy record of Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in the Aug. 22 light rail stabbing, includes a list of dismissed cases and of misdemeanors for which he didn't show up in court, WBTV reported.
- Brown served five years, up until 2020, for violent felonies and was arrested four more times after his release.
- However, the night of the stabbing, he was out on a written promise to appear for misusing 911 in January 2025. He had no other pending cases.
Friction point: Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather, appointed to the office in 2017 by former Gov. Roy Cooper, has told Axios his office needs more prosecutors. With only 85, the Mecklenburg office is understaffed compared to other counties of its size. But the issue is at a standstill until a state budget is passed.
- Alderman wonders why the DA isn't "raising hell." (Merriweather's term is up in 2026.) Through the family's campaign, Mary's Voice, they're pushing for judicial reforms, such as expedited trials for violent offenders.
- Axios asked if a case as depraved as Collins' could be moved up the queue. The DA's spokesperson Mike Stolp responded that "calendaring of homicide cases prioritizes fairness to every family as best we can."
- Mary's Voice is also seeking legislation to reevaluate bond policies, especially in cases involving vulnerable populations, and improved transparency in trial scheduling, so families aren't waiting in uncertainty.
What's next: After Zarutska's fatal stabbing, state leaders are looking at ways to restart the death penalty in North Carolina through legislation. While legal, executions have not been used in the state since 2006 due to lawsuits.
- Collins' family asked about the death penalty for Lavery.
- "We wanted her in prison for life, where she belongs," Alderman says, "so she doesn't hurt someone else."
The bottom line: Alderman feels as though Collins has become a case file, and all attention is now focused on the defendants and their rights rather than the victims' families.
- "The more time that goes by, the less likely it is we'll get justice," she said. "We certainly are in limbo, and in agony."