The US Justice Department on Tuesday, September 9, charged a man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month with a federal crime that could carry the death penalty.
The federal charge comes amid growing questions about why Decarlos Brown Jr was on the street despite 14 prior criminal arrests before he was accused of pulling out a knife and killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in an apparently random attack captured on video.
The case has become latest flashpoint in the debate over whether cities such as Charlotte are adequately addressing violent crime, mental illness and transit safety. The Trump administration says the killing shows how local leaders, judges and policies in Democratic-led cities are failing to protect their residents from violent crime.
“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,” federal Attorney General, Pam Bondi, said in a statement. “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.”
Zarutska had been living in a bomb shelter in Ukraine before coming to the US to escape the war, according to relatives, who described her as determined to build a safer life.
Video released last Friday shows Zarutska entering a light-rail train on 22 August and taking a seat in front of Brown, who was seated behind her.
Minutes later, without any apparent interaction, he pulled out a pocketknife, stood and slashed her in the neck, investigators said. Passengers screamed and scattered as she collapsed.
He was charged federally with causing death on a mass transportation system, which carries up to life in prison or the death penalty. Russ Ferguson, the US Attorney for the western district of North Carolina, said additional charges could be brought as the investigation continues.
The federal case will run parallel with the state case charging Brown with first-degree murder.
PHOTO CAPTION: Brown (2nd left, top) and Zarutska (left, top).
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