Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who aspired to become a veterinarian assistant, was savagely murdered on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22. Her suspected killer was charged with first-degree murder but now faces a federal charge that could land him the death penalty.
Footage of the slaying shows Zarutska enter a train on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, sit down in front of a black male in a red-hooded sweatshirt, and then look at her phone.
‘We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence.’
The man behind her, who has been identified as repeat offender Decarlos Brown, can be seen in the footage taking what appears to be a small knife out of his pocket, standing up, then bringing the apparent blade down in a striking motion. The killer can subsequently be heard saying, “I got that white girl,” surveillance footage appeared to reveal.
A federal criminal complaint was filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Charlotte, charging Brown with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in statement, “Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.”
“I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute Decarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder,” the attorney general continued. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
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If convicted, the Department of Justice said that Brown could face life in prison or the death penalty.
FBI Director Kash Patel, who indicated in an X post on Monday that the “FBI has been investigating the Charlotte train murder from day one,” noted that “the brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Light Rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America.”
‘Federal charges are necessary to protect the public and ensure confidence in our transportation systems.’
When pressed earlier Tuesday for comment on whether the FBI was treating Zarutska’s murder as a hate crime, the FBI referred Blaze News to Patel’s Monday statement and declined to add anything further.
The federal criminal complaint reiterated that Zarutska died at the scene as the result of multiple stab wounds and noted that a pocketknife was collected from the scene.
The complaint also indicated that Zarutska was stabbed just four minutes after she sat down.
“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life,” said Russ Ferguson, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
“Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most — Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family. But crimes like this also affect everyone who relies on mass transportation to get to and from work and go about their daily lives, and federal charges are necessary to protect the public and ensure confidence in our transportation systems,” Ferguson added.
President Donald Trump noted in a Truth Social post on Monday that Zarutska’s alleged killer “was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”
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Crime, Department of justice, Justice department, Fbi, Pam bondi, Decarlos brown, Iryna zarutska, Zarutska, Murder, Leftism, Politics
