President Donald Trump is calling for the death penalty in the case of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee brutally killed on a Charlotte light rail train last month.
In a statement posted Wednesday on Truth Social, Trump blasted the suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., as an “animal” and urged a swift trial and execution.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,” Trump wrote, adding: “There can be no other option!!!”
Chilling surveillance footage from the Aug. 22 Lynx Blue Line train shows Zarutska being stabbed repeatedly with what appeared to be a pocketknife. Authorities said she was targeted without warning while riding the train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Zarutska fled Ukraine in 2022 following Russia’s invasion and had settled in the U.S. hoping for safety. Her family later revealed they declined to repatriate her remains, saying she “loved America.”
Her father was unable to attend the funeral because of the ongoing war.
The suspect’s history
Brown, 34, was arrested and charged Tuesday with a federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. He is also facing a state charge of first-degree murder.
Court records show Brown has been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina since 2007, with prior charges ranging from assault to robbery to illegal possession of firearms.
Earlier this year, Brown himself called police, claiming he had been given “man-made material” that controlled his body functions. When officers told him there was nothing they could do, he repeatedly called 911 again and was arrested. He was later released on cashless bail after signing a promise to appear in court.
Brown’s mother has told local media that her son is schizophrenic and should never have been allowed to walk the streets unsupervised. His sister, Tracey, who says Brown assaulted her in 2022, believes mental illness drove the train attack.
“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break,” she told CNN. “And I think that night he broke.”
North Carolina Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to push for the toughest possible punishment.
“We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime,” she said, stressing that Brown “will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
North Carolina is one of 27 states where the death penalty remains legal, though the state has not carried out an execution since 2006, when Samuel Flippen was put to death for the killing of his two-year-old stepdaughter.
The case has sparked outrage nationwide, both because of the brutality of the killing and because of Brown’s long record of arrests and releases. Critics have blasted the criminal justice system for allowing someone with a documented history of violence and mental illness to remain free.
Trump doubled down on that anger, labeling Brown a “monster” while speaking to reporters on Wednesday.
For Zarutska’s family, the grief has been compounded by distance and conflict. But the public response has turned her killing into a national flashpoint, reigniting debates over violent crime, mental health, and how far the death penalty should go in America today.