Decarlos Brown, the accused killer of Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska, has been indicted. He could face the death penalty if convicted.
The man charged in the fatal stabbing of a young Ukrainian woman on the Charlotte light rail system was indicted Wednesday on federal charges that could get him the death penalty.
A federal grand jury in North Carolina returned the indictment against Decarlos Brown Jr., charging him with violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death. This charge makes him eligible for the death penalty.
Brown was allegedly caught on video stabbing the woman, identified as 23-year-old Iryna Zaruska, on Aug. 22 on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte.
A pocketknife and other items were collected from the scene.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage that showed the victim entering the light rail car and sitting down in the row in front of Brown.
Approximately four minutes later, Brown allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket and unfolded it before striking the victim three times from behind, prosecutors said.
We should take some issue with the description of the weapon seen in the video as a "pocketknife." From that video, the weapon appears to be not a pocketknife, but a folding hunting knife similar to a Buck 110, which has a longer, stouter blade of a higher grade of steel than most pocketknives. This kind of knife could be a very deadly weapon.
Brown has been indicted on charges of "violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death."
JUST IN - Decarlos Brown Jr. indicted on federal charges with "violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death," which makes him eligible for the death penalty — ABC pic.twitter.com/fU0mE0phlj
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 22, 2025
Brown faces what would appear to be some serious evidence; namely, that horrendous few seconds of video of the attack, which there is no need to show again here; it is by now burned into our collective consciousness.
Read More: Cracking Down: NC Gov Signs New Criminal Justice Measure, 'Iryna’s Law'
In the wake of the attack, the state of North Carolina has passed "Iryna's Law," which, as I reported earlier in October, lowers the bars for the death penalty and forbids cash bail for certain classes of violent offenders. The measure passed with an overwhelming majority of the state legislature and was signed into law by Governor Josh Stein.
We will continue to follow this case as it proceeds. Stay tuned.
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