The Ukrainian refugee was brutally stabbed in August on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a man with a long criminal record
A US grand jury has indicted a North Carolina man accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in a case that could carry the death penalty, news outlets have reported.
Zarutska was killed on August 22 while riding a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Surveillance footage showed 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. stabbing her three times in the neck before fleeing the scene with the knife still in his hand. The assault appeared to be unprovoked, with no exchange between the two preceding the attack, according to the footage. Brown was apprehended shortly afterward and charged with first-degree murder.
He was formally indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday. The indictment reportedly states that he “intentionally killed” Zarutska – a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty.
An attorney representing Zarutska’s family said in a statement on Thursday that they were “pleased” with the indictment and look forward to “swift justice.”
Brown’s criminal record spans more than a decade and includes felony breaking and entering, as well as robbery with a dangerous weapon, court records show. He previously served five years in prison for the robbery conviction.
Zarutska’s killing has renewed calls for capital punishment. US President Donald Trump described Brown as an “animal” and urged that the death penalty be applied. In late September, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the death penalty for murder in Washington, DC, saying it would help deter violent crime.
Twenty-seven US states currently permit executions, while 23 have abolished it. North Carolina has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since the early 2000s.
Earlier this month, the state enacted Iryna’s Law, which reinstates the death penalty and directs officials to find alternative execution methods if lethal injection is unavailable.
In April, North Carolina lawmakers proposed legalizing firing squads and the electric chair. Governor Josh Stein has called the idea “barbaric” and said there will be no firing squads in the state during his time in office.
