Man Charged in Fatal Charlotte Train Stabbing of Ukrainian Refugee

Lead A federal indictment was unsealed Tuesday charging 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. with causing death on a mass transit system for allegedly stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death aboard a Charlotte light rail train on August 22.

Nut Graf The charge follows the release of harrowing surveillance footage and mounting public outcry over transit safety and crime-policy failures, propelling debates on urban security and judicial reform.

Main Part

• According to the Justice Department, Brown retrieved a knife and fatally stabbed Zarutska three times in the neck while they were aboard the Lynx Blue Line train at approximately 9:50 p.m. Authorities found a blood-stained knife and shirt at the scene before Brown’s arrest on the platform.
• Zarutska, who fled Ukraine with her family in 2022, aspired to become a veterinary assistant and was employed at a local pizzeria. Fellow passengers rushed to her aid, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi denounced the assault as “an unforgivable act of violence” and vowed to seek the maximum federal penalty, including life without parole or the death penalty.
• Brown also faces first-degree murder charges in state court and has a decade-long criminal record, including convictions for armed robbery and breaking and entering.
• In response to the tragedy and subsequent national scrutiny, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles announced an immediate increase in police patrols and redeployment of transit security personnel across the light rail system to enhance passenger safety.
• The federal mass-transit charge carries a potential sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Prosecutors indicated additional federal counts may follow as the FBI’s investigation continues.