New surveillance footage captures the final moments of a Ukrainian refugee’s life before she was stabbed to death on a light rail train in North Carolina.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, had recently arrived in the U.S. seeking safety and “new beginnings” after fleeing her war-torn home, only for her life to be tragically cut short, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to support her family.
The Charlotte Area Transit System has released footage that showed Zarutska boarding the Lynx Blue Line just after 9:45 p.m. on August 22 at the East/West Boulevard light rail station in South End.
Wearing her pizzeria job uniform, Zarutska was seen scrolling on her phone as she sat in front of a man in a red hoodie who was making strange faces.
“The train travels for approximately four-and-[a]-half minutes before the suspect pulls [a] knife from his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times,” according to a police detective in an affidavit seen by CNN.
The video shows the suspect moving through the railcar after the stabbing, passing passengers who appear unaware of what has just happened, before pausing by the door to exit.
When fellow passengers realize the young woman has been attacked, bystanders rush to her aid. The victim was later pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect got off at the next stop, and police said a folding knife was later recovered near the platform.
Decarlos Brown Jr, a 34-year-old homeless person, was arrested on August 28 and charged with first-degree murder, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said.
He was being held without bond and recently ordered to complete a competency evaluation for the trial, WBTV reported.
After the surveillance video was published, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles condemned the “senseless and tragic” attack.
“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public,” she said. “This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time.”
In the GoFundMe campaign, which had raised almost $75,000 by Monday morning, a family friend said: “Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon. This is an irreparable loss for her family.”
The suspect, who, according to Axios has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has an extensive criminal history that includes robbery and larceny convictions dating back to 2011.
GoFundMe was forced to pull down a handful of appeals seeking to raise funds for the accused killer after online uproar over screengrabs posted to social media during the weekend.
“While what happened on the Blue Line was a tragedy, what we mustn’t lose sight of is the fact that Decarlos Brown Jr. was failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina, and as such is not entirely to blame for what happened,” one page had claimed, according to the New York Post.
“GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime,” a spokesperson told Newsweek. “Consistent with this longstanding policy, the fundraisers have been removed from the platform, and the donors who contributed have been fully refunded.”
Brown has 14 previous court cases in Mecklenburg County. He previously spent six years in a North Carolina prison after convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny, WCNC reported.
Following his release in September 2020, he was arrested again in September 2022 for assault on a female in Mecklenburg County.
Brown was arrested again in January 2025 for misusing the 911 system after he allegedly reported police officers for not taking a medical issue seriously. He was arrested and was in court this past July for the case, which will require a forensic evaluator to be appointed to examine his condition.
