The Justice Department has intervened in the case of a Ukrainian refugee’s stabbing death on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, filing a federal felony charge against the man who attacked the woman unprovoked. The charge came after several political influencers and politicians raised concerns about what they considered scant media coverage of the case.
Federal prosecutors charged Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, with a terrorist attack or other violence against a mass transportation system nearly a month after Charlotte-area authorities charged him with felony first-degree murder, according to a Justice Department release published Tuesday. Prosecutors wrote in a criminal complaint that Brown fatally stabbed Iryna Zarutska, 23, aboard a Charlotte Area Transit System train.
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The charges followed several days of influencers and social media users criticizing major media outlets for not covering the homicide. Late Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FBI Director Kash Patel said the federal government is investigating the crime.
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson said during a Tuesday press conference that Zarutska was killed shortly after boarding the train after work. He said the federal charge would supplement the state murder charge.
Ferguson, a Charlotte native, choked up as he said Brown’s action instilled fear in people going about their everyday lives.
“We built a city that people want to live in,” he said, “but we can lose that all if we allow violent crime like this to go on in our streets.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department wrote in an affidavit in the Mecklenburg District Court that Brown stabbed Zarutska unprovoked on the LYNX Blue Line on Aug. 22 with a sharp object. Brown, who has a criminal record, has been described as being homeless.
Federal terrorism, violence charge
An FBI special agent wrote in the complaint that local police arrested Brown at the scene and found a folding pocketknife near the train platform. Zarutska was discovered deceased with a single stab wound on her neck and a cut on her left knee.
The agent referenced the released security footage that appeared to show Brown striking Zarutska’s neck three times before the woman dropped to the ground. He exited the train car as blood dripped from his clothing.
No information was available in the complaint on what part of Brown’s actions necessitated the charge, except that the attack occurred on the city’s train system. If convicted, Brown could face life in prison or the death penalty. Ferguson added Congress passed the statute for reasons like the case — random attacks on a commuter train.
Ferguson acknowledged that “the act itself doesn’t scream federal crime,” but he said it was justified because of the fear it instilled among other residents.
However, Ferguson denied that political considerations played a role in bringing the federal charge.
“I don’t see how you would see this case as political grandstanding,” Ferguson said. “This was a heinous crime and we’re going to remedy this.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that she instructed prosecutors to pursue a federal murder charge against Brown as he’s a “repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime.”
While Brown has faced a number of charges in the past, Mecklenburg District Court records showed prosecutors dropped all charges against Brown for pleading guilty in 2015 to robbery with a dangerous weapon. He served a five-year prison sentence and the only remaining charge on his record was for misuse of the 911 system.
Zarutska and her family fled Ukraine in 2022 amid Russia’s invasion of their home country.
“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,” Bondi said.
