A federal grand jury Wednesday indicted the man accused of killing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in August and he could face the death penalty if convicted.
Queen City News shared court documents that said 35-year-old Decarlos Brown “did knowingly and without lawful authority and permission commit an act, including the use of a dangerous weapon, with the intent to cause death and serious bodily injury to any person… for this offense in on, against, and affecting a mass transportation provider, to wit, the Charlotte Area Transit System.”
Previously, Audacy reported on the attack that occurred during the evening of Aug. 22 on a Charlotte, N.C. light rail Blue Line train. Video footage that circulated widely online shows a man attacking the young woman with a knife from behind.
Zarutska, had recently graduated with a degree in art restoration in Kyiv, Ukraine, a city that became a target as part of the ongoing Russian invasion. She lived in a bomb shelter in her home country before moving to Charlotte. At the time of her attack, Zarutska was on her way home from work
“Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream – her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi of the case in September. “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 act of violence – he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
It also caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who has posted about it on Truth Social. Trump has recently advocated for the death penalty, and North Carolina is one of the U.S. states that has capital punishment on the books, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
According to the documents shared by Queen City News, Brown has been charged with one county of violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death. Records available indicate that Brown was still a state inmate of the Mecklenburg County jail system in North Carolina as of Thursday.
Regarding statutory penalties, the documents said: “there is no mandatory minimum term of imprisonment; the maximum term of imprisonment is life, but if the offense resulted in the death of any person, the defendant may be sentenced to death; the offense is also subject to a maximum fine of up to $250,000 and supervised release of up to five years.”
Lauren Newton, the attorney representing the Maritsa Family released the following statement, per WBTV: “The family is pleased the federal grand jury returned the indictment against Decarlos Brown Jr. We are hopeful for swift justice.”
Additionally, Queen City News reported that Zarutska’s death has led to a policy changes for public transportation in Charlotte. Republicans have also proposed safety reforms in the wake of her death, the Charlotte Observer reported.