Iryna Zarutska fled a bomb shelter in Ukraine for the US and had only recently moved in with her partner before she was brutally killed by a career criminal in North Carolina as she sat unsuspectingly on the train.
The 23-year-old was scrolling through her phone as she rode the train home from work at a local pizzeria in Charlotte when she was stabbed to death just four minutes after taking her seat.
She never saw her attacker’s face because the cold-blooded killer, who prosecutors have named as career criminal Decarlos Brown Jr., struck her from behind with a pocket knife.
At a press conference on Tuesday, US Attorney Russ Ferguson said that Zarutska’s family declined to have her body returned to Ukraine and said she would have wanted to be buried in the US because ‘she loved America.’
Officials stepped up charges against Brown to the federal level based on Violence Against a Mass Transportation System, which carries a maximum punishment of the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ferguson said Zarutska was stabbed a total of three times in her neck and hands.
The crazed attacker was seen in horror surveillance footage lunging at Iryna in surveillance footage released by police, before it skips the graphic slaughter to show him carrying a knife dripping with Iryna’s blood as he strolled through the train carriage.
Iryna fled her home country of Ukraine to Charlotte in 2022 ‘seeking safety from the war’, her family said on a GoFundMe page – but she found the opposite.
The beautiful young refugee’s death has sparked widespread grief, anger, and questions about public safety in the Democrat-led city as the nation comes to terms with the horror.
Iryna Zarutska’s heartbroken family said that she had only recently arrived in the US ‘seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning’ before the random slaughter
Horrific footage captured the moment Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death from behind as she sat on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22
Iryna fled her home country of Ukraine to the United States in 2022 ‘seeking safety from the war’, her family said on a GoFundMe page – but she found the opposite
But for Iryna’s heartbroken family, her death is a personal tragedy.
Away from the social media storm of the politics surrounding the senseless act of violence which took Iryna’s life, they have paid tribute to her as a ‘gifted and passionate artist’ who had a ‘vibrant spirit’ and ‘a deep love for animals’.
Zarutska emigrated from Ukraine with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war, and she ‘quickly embraced her new life in the United States,’ her family wrote in an obituary.
They also said she had managed to become fluent in English ‘within a very short time’, and ‘hoping for a new beginning’ when she came to Charlotte.
Iryna posted a photograph of the high rises which punctuate the North Carolina city’s skyline on Facebook just nine days before she died.
The image appears to have been taken through the window of a train like the one she boarded on her final day.
Her family said that before starting her new life in the US, Iryna graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in Art and Restoration.
‘She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork,’ they said.
‘She loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.’
‘Though she enjoyed adventures, sightseeing, and exploring new places with her close friends, Iryna was also a homebody at heart, happiest when surrounded by family and loved ones,’ her traumatized family added.
‘Her mother lovingly recalls her ability to sleep for wonderfully long stretches—something she affectionately called an “artist’s gift.”’
Iryna’s family said she had been ‘hoping for a new beginning’ when she came to Charlotte. She posted a photo (shown above) of the city’s skyline on Facebook nine days before she died
Social media photographs, like the one shown above, also illustrate Iryna’s bright personality
Iryna was working at Zepeddie’s pizzeria (pictured) in south Charlotte to pay the bills
Iryna’s family added that she had ‘a deep love for animals’ and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant.
‘She often cared for her neighbors’ pets, and many fondly remember seeing her walking them through the neighborhood, always with her radiant smile,’ they said.
In the meantime, Iryna was working at Zepeddie’s pizzeria in south Charlotte to pay the bills, while learning to drive to secure her independence.
The surveillance footage of her final moments on August 22 shows her wearing her unassuming work uniform – long pants with a black t-shirt and cap branded with the Zepeddie’s logo.
She had been riding back from the restaurant just before 10pm that day when Brown allegedly struck at random.
The pizzeria posted a tribute to Iryna on social media, describing her death as a ‘tremendous loss’.
‘We lost not only an incredible employee, but a true friend,’ the restaurant said. ‘Our dear Iryna left this world far too soon, and our hearts are heavy with grief.
‘Since her passing, we have kept a candle burning in her memory – a small reminder of the warmth, kindness, and light she brought into our lives every single day.’
Iryna’s obituary also remembered her ‘kindness and creativity’, and said she left a ‘lasting impression on everyone she met’ – something evidenced in social media comments left by people who had only spoken with her once.
Instagram photographs shared by her best friend exhibit her fun-loving spirit as they danced together in Vidradnyi, a neighborhood in Kyiv, as shown above
Her family said that before moving to the US, Iryna graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in Art and Restoration. ‘She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork,’ they wrote in her obituary
Iryna was working at Zepeddie’s pizzeria in south Charlotte to pay the bills
They include a Rideshare employee, who said he once drove Iryna home from Zepeddie’s after one of her shifts.
He said that her positive outlook shone through during just one short drive.
‘I drove Iryna on rideshare some months ago from Zepeddies after she got off,’ the driver wrote.
‘We had a good conversation. She was sweet and seemed optimistic. My heart goes out to y’all and her family.’
A patchwork of social media posts also illustrate Iryna’s bright personality.
Instagram photographs shared by her best friend exhibit her fun-loving spirit as they danced together in Vidradnyi, a neighborhood in Kyiv, and posed in clothes stores.
Iryna is pictured embracing her friends, making a heart shape with her hands, and wearing a t-shirt with the rock band Nirvana branding in several images.
‘Her absence leaves a deep void, but her spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved her,’ her family said in her obituary.
Her alleged attacker, Brown Jr., has been charged with first-degree murder. His bond was subsequently denied by a judge and he remains in custody.
