A man has been charged by a federal grand jury for stabbing a Ukrainian refugee to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. The woman, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, left Ukraine to get away from the war and build a better life in the United States.
According to Court TV, Decarlos Brown Jr. faces a charge of causing death on a mass transportation system. This federal charge could lead to the death penalty if prosecutors decide to pursue it. He is also facing a first-degree murder charge in state court.
Security cameras on the light-rail train captured what happened on August 22. The video shows Zarutska getting on the train and taking a seat in front of Brown. A few minutes later, without any apparent interaction between them, Brown took out a pocket knife, got up, and cut her neck. Other passengers yelled and moved away quickly as she fell down. Police say the attack was random.
This Tragedy Shows Serious Problems In The Justice System
What makes this case even sadder is Zarutska’s background. Her family said she used to live in a bomb shelter back in Ukraine. She came to America hoping to find safety and start fresh.
Many people are now asking why Brown was walking free when this happened. Records show he was arrested 14 different times before. He went to prison for five years after robbing someone with a weapon in Mecklenburg County. Just months before the killing, police arrested him for calling 911 over and over from a hospital. He told them people were trying to control him. A judge let him go without making him pay bail.
Brown’s mother spoke to local news and said she tried to have her son committed to a mental hospital this year. She said he got violent at home. Doctors said he has schizophrenia. The charge Brown now faces could result in the death penalty. But North Carolina has not executed anyone since 2006. Legal fights about the drugs used for lethal injection have stopped the state from carrying out executions.
After Zarutska was killed, North Carolina lawmakers passed new laws last month. The laws make it harder for some people to get bail and make sure more defendants get checked for mental health problems. The new rules also try to get the death penalty working again by telling state officials to find other ways to execute people if lethal injection drugs are not available. Brown’s federal case will move forward at the same time as his state murder case.
Published: Oct 27, 2025 02:30 pm