Suspect in N.C. train stabbing of Ukrainian refugee faces possible death penalty with new charge

Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged in federal court with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death.

A North Carolina man with a lengthy criminal history was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train, on a charge that carries the possibility of the death penalty.

Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death.

The grand jury found that Brown “intentionally killed” Iryna Zarutska in the Aug. 22 attack on a Charlotte Area Transit System train, the federal indictment states. The charge makes him eligible for the death penalty.

Lauren O. Newton, an attorney representing the victim’s family, said in a statement Thursday that they are “pleased with the indictment and we look forward to swift justice for Iryna.”

Brown’s attorneys said Thursday, “We don’t have any comment at this time.”

Zarutska boarded the LYNX blue line train at 9:46 p.m. and sat in the empty seat in front of Brown, according to video and a federal complaint.

The complaint said that Brown pulled a knife out of his pocket, unfolded it and struck Zarutska three times from behind. Brown then walked away, the complaint stated.

Zarutska, who was on her way home, died at the scene, according to Newton.

“Her phone’s location alerted them that she was still at the station,” Newton previously said in a statement. “Upon arriving at the station, they were devastated to learn that Iryna had died at the scene.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Zarutska was found in the rear car of the train near “a large amount of blood,” according to the federal complaint. A pocketknife and red shirt soaked in what investigators believed to be blood were found at the scene, the complaint said.

Brown was arrested on the outbound LYNX blue line platform at the station where the stabbing was reported. In September, he was charged with a federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. Local police charged him with first-degree murder.

Zarutska’s family said she had recently moved to the United States from Ukraine to escape the war with Russia. She was living with her partner and was taking community college courses to help improve her English.

After getting her work permit, she started helping at a senior citizens center and pizza store and took care of neighborhood animals, James Barnacle, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Division, said at a September news conference.

“Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way,” her family previously said in a statement.

Her death drew national attention and criticism from politicians on the right. Attorney General Pam Bondi had said in a statement that Zarutska’s death was “a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.”

Brown’s criminal history is more than a decade long and includes felony breaking and entering and robbery with a dangerous weapon, court records show. He served five years in prison for the robbery charge, according to the court records.

On Oct. 3, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein announced his decision to sign Iryna’s Law that “alerts the judiciary to take a special look at people who may pose unusual risks of violence before determining their bail.”

“We can and must do more to keep people safe,” he said in a video message.