A federal grand jury in North Carolina has reportedly now indicted a Charlotte man with a long criminal record in the fatal stabbing of a young Ukrainian refugee on a city train — a charge that could result in the death penalty.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death. The indictment states that Brown “intentionally killed” 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska during an Aug. 22 attack on a Charlotte Area Transit System LYNX Blue Line train.
Brown’s attorneys offered no comment Thursday. But for Zarutska’s loved ones, the indictment marks a step forward. “We are pleased with the indictment and we look forward to swift justice for Iryna,” said Lauren O. Newton, counsel for the family.
Surveillance footage and federal court documents describe the killing as sudden and unprovoked. Zarutska boarded the train at 9:46 p.m. and sat in the empty seat ahead of Brown. Investigators say Brown removed a knife from his pocket, unfolded it, and stabbed her three times from behind before walking away.
Police discovered her body in the rear train car near “a large amount of blood,” according to the complaint. A pocketknife and a red shirt believed to be soaked in blood were recovered at the scene.
Zarutska, who was returning home, died before help could arrive. Her family located her only after her phone signaled that she had not left the station.
Authorities arrested Brown shortly after the attack as he stood on the outbound train platform. Local police charged him with first-degree murder; federal prosecutors later added the mass-transportation death charge.
Zarutska had arrived in the United States seeking safety from the war in Ukraine. She was living with her partner, improving her English through community college courses, and — after receiving her work permit — assisting at a senior center and pizza shop. She also cared for animals in her neighborhood. “Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way,” her family said.
The killing has fueled outrage, particularly from those criticizing what they call permissive criminal justice policies. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Zarutska’s death was “a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.”
Brown’s record extends more than ten years and includes felony breaking and entering as well as robbery with a dangerous weapon. He previously served five years in prison for the robbery conviction — raising questions about how someone with a history of violent crime remained free despite repeated offenses.
In the wake of the stabbing, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced he had signed a measure known as Iryna’s Law, aimed at strengthening judicial review of potentially violent offenders before bail decisions. “We can and must do more to keep people safe,” he said.
As Zarutska’s family prepares for a federal death-penalty case, her story has become a tragic symbol for Americans alarmed by preventable violence — a young woman who escaped a brutal war only to be killed on a city train she thought would carry her safely home.
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