A federal charge has been filed against Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. in connection with the murder of Iryna Zarutska on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
On Aug. 22, the 23-year-old Ukranian refugee was stabbed to death on the Lynx Blue Line light rail system in Charlotte, according to WBTV-TV. Brown was later charged with first-degree murder. Video showing the stabbing of the 9:50 p.m. incident did not hit the media until Sept. 5, sparking a widening sense of outrage as it spread.
Brown is charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, according to a Department of Justice news release.
If convicted, Brown faces a maximum sentence of life in prison or death.
“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,” Attorney General Pamela Bondi said.
“I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder. 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,” she said.
“The brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Light Rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
“The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again,” he said.
He said the charge against Brown is “the first step toward delivering justice for Iryna and her family — as well as the millions of Americans who deserve to live in our great American cities free from being targeted by violent criminals.”
Racially Motivated Stabbing: “I got that white girl.” With that, DeCarlos Dejuan Brown’s stabbing death of Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska, becomes a hate crime! Now we know why they didn’t want the video shown. CNN does their twisting of truth and Van Jones is the lead liar. pic.twitter.com/1fHtpSBxFM
— John Cremeans (@JohnCremeansX) September 9, 2025
“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life,” U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said.
“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,” he said.
The criminal complaint alleges that, “At approximately 2150 hours, Brown pulled a knife from his pocket and unfolded the knife before striking the victim three (3) times from behind.”
Ferguson said the fear engendered by the incident required federal action.
“This is obviously a horrible, horrible situation,” Ferguson said, according to CBS. “This is why federal statutes exist. They exist to take care of situations like this, because no one should sit in fear when they sit on the light rail.”
This case has gotten President Trumps attn
He just said that it’s time to get vicious with these criminals, that’s the only thing they understand
Let @realDonaldTrump know you want DeCarlos Brown Jr charged with a hate crime, this monster can never walk free.. he’ll see this pic.twitter.com/oFS5rc0MHu
— @Chicago1Ray 🇺🇸 (@Chicago1Ray) September 9, 2025
Ferguson said the surveillance video gave prosecutors “the basis for federal charges here.”
“The act itself doesn’t scream federal crime,” he said. “But when we started to see the effects of that act, and we saw the public saying, ‘We’re not riding the light rail anymore, we’re afraid to go to the park,’ that’s when my mind and my office started saying … this might be a federal charge,” he said.
Zarutska and her family fled Ukraine after Russia invaded.
“I hope the family won’t mind me sharing. But after Iryna’s death, the Embassy in Ukraine called and said, ‘We’ll help you bring her home.’ And her family said, ‘No.’ They said, ‘She loved America. We’re going to bury her here,’” Ferguson said.
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