A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who fled war for a new life in the U.S. was brutally stabbed to death on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Iryna Zarutska had resettled in the U.S. with dreams of becoming a veterinary assistant and was known as a “gifted and passionate artist.”
But on August 22, 2025, her life was cut short in a shocking public killing.
CCTV shows unprovoked attack by man with criminal history
Surveillance footage revealed that Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, sat behind Zarutska on the train in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood before suddenly launching a violent attack with a pocketknife.
She was stabbed multiple times, including three times in the neck and hands.
About 30 seconds later, she collapsed.
Brown, who calmly walked away with blood still dripping from the knife, was arrested shortly after exiting the train and has been charged with first-degree murder.
Zarutska was pronounced dead on the scene.
Victim remembered as kind and creative: “Her absence leaves a deep void”
Zarutska had become fluent in English, worked at Zepeddie’s pizzeria, and was remembered by her family as a warm and compassionate soul.
Her obituary read: “She will be remembered for her kindness, her creativity, and the lasting impression she left on everyone she met," adding, "Her absence leaves a deep void, but her spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved her."
In a statement issued through lawyers, her family said: “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.
"No family should have to go through this.”
Who is Decarlos Brown Jr.?
Brown, a homeless man with a long criminal record, has been arrested at least 14 times since 2011, per NDTV.
Charges against him have included felony larceny, armed robbery, assault, breaking, and making threats, according to the NY Post.
He served a five-year sentence for armed robbery in 2014 and was released in September 2020.
Within five months, he was arrested again - this time for assaulting his own sister, Tracey, at her home in Charlotte.
In January of this year, Brown made a string of bizarre emergency 911 calls, claiming a “man-made material” was controlling his body and affecting basic functions like walking, eating, and speaking.
Officers told him it was a medical issue and there was “nothing further they could do,” according to an affidavit.
Despite the pattern of arrests and concerning behavior, Brown remained free and unsupervised at the time of the murder.
Brown's chilling confession: “That’s scary, ain’t it?”
In a recorded jailhouse phone call to his sister on August 28, Brown revealed a disturbing lack of remorse and understanding about the crime.
“I hurt my hand, stabbing her. I don’t even know the lady. I never said not one word to the lady at all.
"That’s scary, ain’t it?
"Why would somebody stab somebody for no reason?”
When Tracey asked him why he targeted Zarutska, Brown replied: “They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened. Whoever was working the materials, they lashed out on her.
"That’s all there is to it. Now they really gotta investigate what my body was exposed to...
"Now they gotta do an investigation as to who was the motive behind what happened.”
Family says Brown was paranoid schizophrenic: “He was not safe for society”
Tracey Brown, who survived a violent attack by her brother in 2022, said he had long suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and believed he had a government chip implanted in him.
“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break. And I think that night he broke,” she told PEOPLE.
She added: “He was a high risk. He was not in his right mind. He was not safe for society.
"We know what he has been dealing with the last three years. And now an innocent woman is dead.”
Their mother also attempted to place Brown in long-term mental care, but was unable to because she wasn’t his legal guardian.
“He was seeking help. He called 911 multiple times. Instead of talking to him, they thought charging him was going to help,” Tracey said.
Trump and Musk call for swift death penalty
The case has drawn sharp political attention.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, writing: “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. There can be no other option!!!”
Trump also blamed Democratic policies and former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, now a Senate candidate, saying: “North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!
"Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy? VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk echoed those sentiments, stating: “Death penalty cases where there is unequivocal guilt should move forward immediately.”