In the US state of North Carolina, federal charges have been brought against 34-year-old Dekarlos Brown, who fatally stabbed 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutskaya on a train last month.
The man is charged with murder on public transportation, and the attacker could face the death penalty for this charge.
Decarlos Brown had a lengthy criminal history. In 2014, he served six years for armed robbery. He has also been arrested multiple times for assault, disorderly conduct, and domestic violence.
His mother said that her son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had previously been forcibly treated. In January of this year, a judge released Brown without bail, despite his history of previous offenses.
US Attorney General Pamela Bondy said that the attacker would face “the maximum punishment.” Since the case is federal, this could even mean the death penalty.
“This crime is the result of a failed policy of leniency towards criminals. We will ensure that he never sees freedom again,” she said.
Media outlets close to the Republicans, and even House Speaker Mike Johnson, accused the pro-Democratic media of deliberately covering up the murder of the Ukrainian refugee.
US President Donald Trump also reacted to the murder of a Ukrainian refugee in the North Carolina subway, criticizing his political opponents from the Democratic Party.
“I saw the horrific video of a beautiful young Ukrainian refugee who came to America to escape the brutal war in Ukraine and was innocently riding the subway in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally attacked by a mentally unstable criminal,” Trump wrote.
He mentioned that the killer was a well-known repeat offender who had been arrested and released on “bail” numerous times before — 14 times in total, according to him.
He stated that every state needs law and order, and Republicans can provide it.
The American president also expressed outrage at the lack of attention from the mainstream media to the tragedy of the Ukrainian woman’s murder.
The Ukrainian woman, who had come to the US in search of a safe place, was killed at the end of August on a train at a station in Charlotte, North Carolina. The woman was found with multiple stab wounds at the East/West Boulevard station. Iryna’s funeral took place on August 27 in Charlotte. Her grave was decorated with colorful stickers and photographs, and her father, who remained in Ukraine, was unable to attend due to martial law. The girl had recently settled in the city, hoping to start a new life.
American billionaire Elon Musk also promised to donate $1 million to create murals depicting Iryna Zarutskaya, a Ukrainian refugee who was killed in the United States.
The initiative was proposed by Eoghan McCabe, CEO of Intercom. He promised to allocate a total of $500,000 for artists to depict Iryna Zarutska on murals.
Elon Musk responded: “I will contribute $1 million.”