The “heartbroken” family of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee stabbed to death on a North Carolina train, has demanded justice and public safety reform following her killing.
The 23-year-old recently fled her war-torn home and settled in the city of Charlotte in search of “new beginnings” when her life was tragically and violently cut short.
The accused, Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old man with a lengthy criminal history, has been slapped with a federal charge of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system and could potentially face the death penalty, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Zarutska’s family said that she texted her boyfriend that night to say she would be home soon, but when she did not arrive at her apartment, her loved ones became alarmed, WSOCTV reports.
“We are heartbroken beyond words,” Zarutska’s family said in a statement obtained by the outlet via an attorney. “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.”
“This could have been anyone riding the light rail that night,” her family added. “We are committed to making sure this never happens again.”
“The family’s immediate priority is to ensure the man responsible for Iryna’s murder is brought to justice and remains behind bars,” the statement continued. “However they are also calling attention to a broader crisis in public safety and systemic failure.”
Horrifying surveillance footage captured the young woman’s final moments, with Brown sitting behind her on the train.
Zarutska was traveling on the commuter light-rail train in the neighborhood of South End on August 22 when Brown allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the neck from behind, seemingly at random. She died at the scene, authorities said last month.
Questions are being asked of local and state officials as to why the accused was free and living on the street despite having 14 prior criminal cases. Doctors also diagnosed Brown with schizophrenia, according to the Associated Press.
Even though people convicted of first-degree murder in North Carolina can face the death penalty, the state has not carried out an execution since 2006, in part due to legal challenges over the use of lethal injection drugs.
President Donald Trump sought to lay blame at the door of Democrats and accused them of “refusing to put bad people in jail.”
“The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper. North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!” Trump wrote Monday in a post on Truth Social.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who has represented North Carolina in the Senate for a decade, said it would be a “problem” if the Trump administration looked to federalize Charlotte amid speculation the city could be targeted next.
“We do have challenges, but there are far more major metropolitan areas that we could focus our attention before you go to Charlotte,” Tillis told NOTUS. “I hope that people don’t amplify this into something.”
Tillis said that he has not seen evidence that Charlotte would be targeted next, but added: “If they do, it’ll be a problem for me.”
Trump administration officials have honed in on the case to justify drastic action on violent crime.
“I have daughters the same age as Iryna Zarutska. We got here because we have leaders who don’t stand up for Americans who have no choice but to take public transportation to get to work,” said Transport Secretary Sean Duffy. “POTUS and DOT are here to fight for hard working people. They deserve to be safe on the streets, on buses, and on trains.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi also slammed the senseless killing as a “direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.”
“I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute Decarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man,” Bondi said.
