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FIRST ON FOX: The FBI announced Tuesday that Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., the suspect in the stabbing death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train, has been federally charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
“The brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Light Rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said. “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. I want to thank Attorney General [Pam] Bondi for her pursuit of today’s federal charges, which are the first step toward delivering justice for Iryna and her family – as well as the millions of Americans who deserve to live in our great American cities free from being targeted by violent criminals.”
Bondi said that the Department of Justice will seek the maximum penalty for Brown, saying that the Aug. 22 attack was a “direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.”
“I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder,” she said. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge, said that he hopes the federal charge will “help bring her family a measure of justice.”
“Iryna Zarutska had likely taken that train ride many times before. She was probably tired after a day at work and just wanted to go home, but tragically she never made it,” he said Tuesday. “We hope this federal charge will help bring her family a measure of justice and the courts will hold the subject charged in this horrific act accountable. Everyone in this country deserves to go to work, to school, or just across town without fear of being attacked.”
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Brown was previously charged with first-degree murder in state court for allegedly stabbing Zarutska, 23, to death aboard a Charlotte light-rail train on Aug. 22.
Read the federal complaint here
Surveillance video from the LYNX Blue Line captured the moments before the attack, which police described as “seemingly unprovoked.” Court documents obtained by Fox News Digital say that Brown took out a folding knife and stabbed Zarutska, who was still dressed in her pizzeria uniform, three times.
Brown is no stranger to the justice system. Court and prison records examined by Fox News Digital show that he has been convicted of crimes spanning a decade. By the time of Zarutska’s killing, Brown had racked up 14 arrests over the years but was no longer under state supervision.
His convictions include larceny and breaking and entering in 2013, as well as a 2015 conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon, for which he served more than six years in prison. He was released in 2020 and remained on parole until 2021. More recent charges included communicating threats and misuse of the 911 system earlier this year.
UKRAINIAN WOMAN WHO FLED WAR STABBED TO DEATH AT CHARLOTTE LIGHT RAIL STATION
President Donald Trump seized on the case, calling Brown a “lunatic” and using the killing to push for tougher sentencing policies and stronger federal intervention. On Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote: “The FBI has been investigating the Charlotte train murder from day one. Stay tuned.”
Zarutska fled Ukraine with her family in 2022 to escape the war before settling in Charlotte, according to her obituary. She was working at a local pizzeria, Zepeddie’s Pizza, at the time of her death and was captured on the train’s surveillance camera wearing her work uniform.
Her family described Zarutska as a passionate artist and graduate of Synergy College in Kyiv, where she earned a degree in art and restoration. She was remembered for her creativity, her love of animals, her determination and her eagerness to learn.
