>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
She made it clear federal prosecutors will not hold back:
“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 also weighed in, calling the shocking killing “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,” Patel said.
The horrifying attack happened on August 22 aboard the Lynx Blue Line train. Surveillance video shows Zarutska being repeatedly stabbed from behind with a pocket knife. Authorities described the assault as “seemingly unprovoked.
Iryna Zarutska had come to the United States in 2022 seeking refuge after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine turned her homeland into a war zone. She was working at a local pizza shop, Zepeddie’s Pizza, when her life was tragically cut short.
Police records paint a disturbing picture of Brown’s criminal history. Since 2007, he has been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina for crimes ranging from assault and robbery to unlawful firearm possession. He previously served time for armed robbery, was released in 2020, and was later arrested again for assaulting his own brother.
Court documents also reveal Brown was arrested earlier this year after making bizarre 911 calls claiming a “man-made” device was controlling his movements and speech. Even after this erratic behavior, he was released on cashless bail just two days later.
Brown’s own mother admitted in a local TV interview that her son suffers from schizophrenia and should never have been free to roam the streets. Yet despite his long record, judges repeatedly released him on minimal conditions.
Former President Trump blasted the situation, saying it highlights everything wrong with America’s soft-on-crime approach:
“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 posted on Truth Social.
“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.”
This case is now drawing national outrage and sparking renewed calls for tougher crime laws — before more innocent lives are lost.
