The brutal killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, has shaken the nation, and now, the Trump administration is vowing swift justice, with President Donald Trump calling for the death penalty against her accused killer.
On August 22, chilling surveillance footage captured Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, calmly sitting in a red hoodie on a Charlotte light rail train before suddenly unfolding a knife and stabbing Zarutska in the neck just minutes after she boarded.
The young refugee, who had fled Ukraine’s war in 2022 and worked at a local pizzeria, looked up at her attacker in terror, clutching her head as blood gushed down her uniform. Passengers appeared stunned into silence, with some walking away as Zarutska slumped to the floor. She died on the train surrounded by horrified commuters.
Brown, a career criminal with 14 prior arrests, has a record stretching back to 2011, including armed robbery, burglary, larceny, and assault. He had also been arrested earlier this year for delusional 911 calls claiming the government was controlling his brain.