The Justice Department and FBI announced on Tuesday that the individual who is accused of mercilessly stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death on a train in North Carolina last month has been charged with a federal crime.
Decarlos Brown Jr, 34, is currently being charged with one federal count of committing an act that resulted in the murder of a person on a mass transportation system. This is in addition to the first-degree murder charge in state court that he is currently facing for the alleged murder of Zarutska in the assault that was captured on camera.
“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday.
“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 crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
FBI Director Kash Patel ripped the savage stabbing as “a disgraceful act that should never happen in America.”
“The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served, and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again,” he added in a statement.
Zarutska was repeatedly stabbed from behind with what prosecutors described as a pocket knife during her journey on the Lynx Blue Line train on Aug. 22, as evidenced by disturbing surveillance footage. She was seen looking up in horror.
The police later described the attack as “seemingly unprovoked.”
In 2022, she sought asylum in the United States after Russian invaders initiated a brutal conflict in her homeland.
Zarutska was employed at Zepeddie’s Pizza, a local pizzeria, at the time of her death. The security camera footage from the gruesome stabbing shows her in her work attire.
According to records reviewed by The Post, Brown, a 34-year-old homeless man, had been arrested in North Carolina at least 14 times since 2007 for various offenses, including assault, robbery, and unlawful firearms possession.
This encompassed a period of imprisonment for armed robbery in 2014, from which he was subsequently released in September 2020. Subsequently, he was incarcerated for assaulting his sibling five months later.
Brown was most recently apprehended after making a false call to the police, in which he claimed to have been given a “man-made” device that regulated his speech, eating, and strolling, according to court documents. The police on the scene informed him that they were unable to resolve the situation, and he became enraged and called 911 once more while they were present, which led to his arrest.
Two days later, Magistrate Teresa Stokes released him on cashless parole, contingent upon his written assurance to attend his subsequent court date.
He was ordered by a judge to undergo a forensic evaluation on July 28.
In an interview with local television station WSOC, Brown’s mother asserted that her son was schizophrenic and argued that he should not have been permitted to roam the streets in the wake of the assault that claimed Zarutska’s life.
According to reports, Brown is a habitual fare-cheater who frequently uses public transportation without paying for it.
In the context of President Trump’s crime crackdown in Washington, DC, and his consideration of other locations throughout the United States, the slaughter of Zarutska has garnered national attention, including from the White House.
Trump has referred to Brown as a “lunatic.”
“I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,” Trump began on his Truth Social platform.
“The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,” he added.