Death Penalty Possible for Man Charged with Killing Ukrainian Refugee on Light Rail

The Justice Department has charged a man, Decarlos Brown Jr., with the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month. The federal charge means that he could face the death penalty.

Brown had been arrested 14 times before the alleged attack, which was captured on video and shows him pulling out a knife and killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in an apparently random attack. The case has raised questions about whether cities such as Charlotte are adequately addressing violent crime, mental illness, and transit safety.

Zarutska had come to the United States to escape the war in Ukraine, relatives wrote in a statement describing her as determined to build a safer life.

— Attorney General Pam Bondi

Bondi said that she would seek the maximum penalty for Brown's "unforgivable act of violence" and added, “He will never again see the light of day as a free man.”

The death penalty is a potential punishment in North Carolina for people convicted of first-degree murder. However, the state has not carried out an execution since 2006 due to legal challenges over the use of lethal injection drugs and the presence of a doctor at executions.

Brown had cycled through the criminal justice system for more than a decade, with 14 prior cases in Mecklenburg County. He was arrested earlier this year after repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital, claiming people were trying to control him. A judge released him without bail.

Video shows Zarutska entering the light-rail train and taking a seat in front of Brown, who was seated behind her. Minutes later, without any apparent interaction, he pulls out a pocketknife, stands and slashes her in the neck, investigators said. Passengers scream and scatter as she collapses.