Death Penalty Decision Made in Case Of Ukrainian Refugee
The Department of Justice and FBI announced Tuesday that 34-year-old repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr. has been hit with a federal murder charge for the savage stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska aboard a North Carolina train last month.
The federal charge — murder on a mass transportation system — comes on top of state first-degree murder charges Brown already faces for the horrific assault, which was caught on surveillance video.
A Promising Life Cut Short
Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 after Russia’s invasion, had been working at a local pizzeria in Charlotte and was commuting home on the Lynx Blue Line when Brown allegedly stabbed her repeatedly from behind with a pocketknife on August 22. Prosecutors said the attack appeared “seemingly unprovoked.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi condemned the crime in stark terms:
“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. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
FBI Director Kash Patel called the stabbing “a disgraceful act that should never happen in America,” vowing the agency would ensure Brown is never released again to kill.
A System That Let a Predator Loose
Court records reveal Brown had been arrested at least 14 times since 2007, including for armed robbery, assault, and illegal firearms possession. Despite this history, he was repeatedly released back onto the streets.
Just weeks before the stabbing, Magistrate Teresa Stokes released him on cashless parole after yet another arrest — this time for making bizarre 911 calls.
His mother admitted he suffered from schizophrenia and should not have been roaming free. Local officials also revealed Brown was a habitual fare-dodger who often rode public transportation without paying.
Trump: “Criminals Like This Need to Be Locked Up”
The brutal crime has drawn national attention, especially in the context of President Trump’s crackdown on crime in Washington, D.C., and consideration of similar initiatives nationwide.
Trump blasted the system that allowed Brown back on the streets:
“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee… brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. The perpetrator was a well-known career criminal, 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.”
The Deadly Cost of “Reform”
The Zarutska case highlights the deadly consequences of soft-on-crime policies, cashless bail, and activist judges more interested in “equity” than public safety. A young woman who fled a war zone for America’s promise of freedom was killed by a career criminal who should never have been on the streets.
Under Trump’s leadership, the Justice Department is signaling that justice will be swift and severe — but the question remains: how many innocent lives must be lost before the failed experiment of cashless bail and revolving-door justice is ended nationwide?