Man faces a federal charge in the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train
By Cindy Von Quednow, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN
(CNN) — The Justice Department filed federal charges Tuesday against a man with a lengthy rap sheet for the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the latest escalation of a case fueling a White House crusade against purported violent crime in Democratic-led cities.
If convicted of the charge, committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown could face the death penalty for allegedly stabbing Iryna Zarutska, 23, in an unprovoked attack inside a light rail car last month.
Brown also has been charged in North Carolina with first-degree murder. He used a pocketknife during the crime, which was found near a train platform, an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint filed against him states.
The incident remains under investigation and Brown could face additional charges, Russ Ferguson, US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said during a news conference Tuesday.
CNN has reached out to Brown’s attorney for comment.
The gruesome killing has quickly become a cause célèbre for the administration, who for months have been pointing to shocking crimes as proof that cities with Democratic leaders have allowed criminals to run amok. Trump and other top officials, including Attorney General Pam Bondi, have lambasted the cities as out of control.
And recently released video of the stabbing and Brown’s criminal history have bolstered that argument, prompting many Republicans – up to President Donald Trump – to point the attack as justification for the federal government to send troops into urban hubs as the administration plans to do in Chicago.
In an interview with Fox News after the charges were announced, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche called the murder “a stark example of how leftist, liberal policies are failing.”
Blanche criticized Charlotte’s Democratic officials, saying they “failed” Zarutska by passing laws that allowed Brown to remain out of prison despite his long criminal history.
“We can’t stand for these local judges and these local community leaders just standing by and sticking up for the men and that are actually committing violent crimes against our citizens,” he said, warning local leaders “if you can’t keep your city safe, we will.”
Despite the intense Republican criticism in recent days, incumbent Mayor Vi Lyles will win the Democratic primary in the race for her fifth two-year term, CNN projects. She faces a Republican and Libertarian in November, but the city has had a Democratic mayor for the past 16 years.
Brown’s long rap sheet
Brown has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for armed robbery, felony larceny and breaking and entering. Family members told CNN he has a history of mental health struggles, and his sister said she believes he had a mental breakdown that night.
Brown spent more than five years behind bars for robbery with a dangerous weapon, state records show. North Carolina state records list 14 cases for Brown, other than those related to the killing. They date back to 2011 and include arrests for minor offenses like speeding and shoplifting. It is unclear how many of them were prosecuted.
He had been charged with misuse of 911, a class 1 misdemeanor, earlier this year after he allegedly asked officers to investigate a “man-made” material that controlled when he ate, walked and talked, court documents state.
Officers told him there was nothing they could do and “the issue was a medical issue.” Upset, he called 911, the records state.
His release was conditioned on a written promise he would appear for his next hearing, according to court records.
The White House said his release left him “free to slaughter an innocent woman just months later.”
Victim lived in bomb shelter
Zarutska was on her way back from work on the light-rail system she often used when she was attacked, Ferguson said.
She had received a degree in art and restoration in Kyiv and hoped to become a veterinary assistant. She was living in a bomb shelter before coming to the US, where she had recently moved in with her partner.
Her family became alarmed when Zarutska did not arrive home after texting her boyfriend, they said Tuesday, CNN affiliate WSOC reported.
“We are heartbroken beyond words. Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way,” said a family spokesperson, according to WSOC.
He said this case is not about political grandstanding and has nothing to do with politics, despite it being showcased by Trump.
“She was building her young life,” Ferguson said while getting emotional after speaking with the victim’s family.
When the Ukrainian Embassy reached out to Zarutska’s family and said they’d help bring her body home, the family told them the US was her home now and should be her final resting place, Ferguson said.
“If this was a political grandstand, there would be an opposite side to this. Is the opposite side let’s allow murders on our light rail? Is the opposite side let’s let people out of state prison so they can commit other crimes?” Ferguson said. “There’s no other side of this. There’s no politics of this. This is a pure and simple federal case.”
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