US President Donald Trump has called for the death penalty for the man accused of fatally stabbing a young Ukrainian refugee on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Wednesday. “There can be no other option!!!”
The attack, which took place on August 22, claimed the life of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 with her family to escape the war.
Surveillance footage released later shows Zarutska boarding the train and sitting down before the suspect, identified as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., stood up, pulled out a knife, and stabbed her without warning.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the stabbing happened just before 10 p.m. A caller reported a woman had been stabbed in the throat.
Brown, who was homeless at the time and has a history of arrests, was charged with first-degree murder. He also faces federal charges announced Tuesday by Russ Ferguson, the US attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, including committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system, a charge that carries either life in prison or the death penalty.
“It is a law that is there, because acts like this affect the American way. It affects our daily life,” Ferguson told reporters.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would pursue the maximum punishment. “I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder,” she posted on X. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
The FBI is assisting with the investigation.
Zarutska’s obituary described her as a talented artist who worked at Zepeddie’s Pizzeria and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant. Her family said she had quickly embraced her new life in the United States.
Video of the attack shows her sitting quietly, earbuds in, scrolling through her phone in a T-shirt from the pizzeria. Four minutes later, Brown unfolded a knife and lunged forward. Zarutska curled up in her seat and looked up at her attacker before collapsing to the floor.
The two had not interacted before the stabbing, according to eyewitnesses.