A young Ukrainian woman who fled her war-torn home in search of safety in the United States was stabbed to death at a North Carolina train station last week, according to a fundraiser set up by her loved ones.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was left with multiple stab wounds from the horrifying attack, which unfolded just before 10 p.m. at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in South End, Charlotte, on Friday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
Zarutska had “recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning,” according to a GoFundMe set up to support her family.
“Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon,” the fundraiser added. “This is an irreparable loss for her family.”
Zarutska died at the scene, authorities said.
Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old homeless man with a lengthy criminal past, is set to be charged with first-degree murder in her death, according to WSOC-TV.
He was taken to the hospital for injuries sustained in the attack. He will be charged once he is released, police said.
Brown has 14 previous court cases in Mecklenburg County. He previously spent six years in a North Carolina prison after convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny, WCNC reported.
Following his release in September 2020, he was arrested again in September 2022 for assault on a female in Mecklenburg County.
Brown was arrested again in January 2025 for misusing the 911 system after he allegedly reported police officers for not taking a medical issue seriously. He was arrested and was in court this past July for the case, which will require a forensic evaluator to be appointed to examine his condition.
Authorities have not said what led to the stabbing.
The fundraiser for Zarutska’s family had received nearly $15,000 by Tuesday morning.
Police investigation into the case remains ongoing.
