Man Accused of Fatally Stabbing Ukrainian Woman on Train Indicted by Federal Grand Jury — Death Penalty Eligible
Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office via AP/Public domain photo from surveillance video released by the Charlotte Area Transit System
Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of fatally stabbing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train, has been indicted by a federal grand jury with charges that could make him eligible for the death penalty.
Zarutska, 23, a Ukrainian refugee, was stabbed to death on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22, her shocking murder captured by the transit authority’s surveillance video.
Brown, 34, was arrested on the train platform and has been charged with a state charge of first-degree murder.
In September, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina filed a criminal complaint against Brown. His defense counsel have already asked the judge for a determination if their client is mentally fit to stand trial, according to ABC News.
On Wednesday, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Brown, charging him with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death.
These charges mean that if Brown is convicted, he is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Odulio is prosecuting the case against Brown for the Department of Justice.
Brown is also potentially facing the death penalty in the state of North Carolina’s case against him. A hearing on that issue was originally scheduled for this month, but has been pushed back to April 2026, Charlotte’s WBTV reported last week.
Watch the video above via ABC News.
