Federal charge added in Charlotte light rail murder

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – Charges against North Carolinian Decarlos Brown Jr. have an addition on the federal level, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said he’s charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. Already, he faced a state charge of first-degree murder.

"Iryna Zarutska had likely taken that train ride many times before,” said James Barnacle Jr., special agent in charge for the FBI in Charlotte. “She was probably tired after a day at work and just wanted to go home, but tragically she never made it. We hope this federal charge will help bring her family a measure of justice and the courts will hold the subject charged in this horrific act accountable. Everyone in this country deserves to go to work, to school or just across town without fear of being attacked."

Bondi said the maximum penalty “for this unforgivable act of violence” would be sought. She vowed, “He will never again see the light of day as a free man.”

Zarutska, 23, was killed while aboard the Lynx Blue Line light rail train about 10 p.m. alongside Camden Road near the East/West station, according to the Charlotte Area Transit System video. She took one of two empty seats in front of Brown and appears to be on her cellphone.

Video does not appear to show any interaction between them until he stands up and stabs her to death from behind about four minutes later.

Brown, 34 and reportedly homeless, is charged with first-degree murder. His lawyer filed a motion to evaluate competency. Brown has previously had 14 cases in Mecklenburg County, ranging from assault and making threats to armed robbery and felony larceny. He served a five-year sentence for the robbery.

Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple stab wounds. A GoFundMe page for expenses to help her uncle and his wife said she had recently arrived in the United States from Ukraine, “seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said, “The brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America. The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served, and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again.”

Bondi said the death of Zarutska was a "direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people."