Suspect in Fatal Stabbing of Ukrainian Refugee Indicted on Capital Murder Charges

If convicted, Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. could be executed for the August killing of rail passenger Iryna Zarutska.
Suspect in Fatal Stabbing of Ukrainian Refugee Indicted on Capital Murder Charges
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks beside photos of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska and defendant Decarlos Brown Jr. at the White House on Sept. 9, 2025. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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A North Carolina man accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte train was indicted by a federal grand jury on capital murder charges on Oct. 22.

Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, was charged with one count of Violence Against a Railroad Carrier and Mass Transportation System Resulting in Death under Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 1992. The offense carries the death penalty, and if convicted by a unanimous jury, Brown could be placed on the federal death row and executed.