The harrowing story of a young Ukrainian refugee killed in an unprovoked attack by a homeless ex-convict flew under the national media radar for two weeks, but no longer.
On Monday, President Trump raised to the forefront the unmotivated killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska and decried the “madman” who stabbed her to death on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, while bringing fresh urgency to his crusade against violent crime in Democratic-run jurisdictions.
Mr. Trump said the perpetrator “just got up and started — it’s right on the tape. Not really watchable because it’s so horrible. Just viciously stabs her, she’s just sitting there.”
“There are evil people. We have to be able to handle that. If we don’t handle that, we don’t have a country,” Mr. Trump said in remarks before the administration’s Religious Liberty Commission at the Museum of the Bible.
He later posted on Truth Social that “the perpetrator was a well-known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES.”
“What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets?” he asked rhetorically. “Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”
Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, was arrested at the scene on Aug. 22 and charged with first-degree murder. Still, the crime received only local news coverage until Friday, when the Charlotte Area Transit System released surveillance footage of the horrific assault.
The video quickly went viral. So did records showing that Mr. Brown was back on the streets after having been arrested at least 14 times.
He served a five-year prison sentence for robbery with a dangerous weapon and was released in 2020.
Months later, he was arrested and accused of assaulting his sister at her home in Charlotte.
Mr. Brown’s mother told WOSC-TV that he became so aggressive that she was forced to turn him out of the house. She said the court system should never have allowed him back in the community.
His mother, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she tried to get him help but “the system failed him.”
The horrific assault became emblematic of Republican warnings about repeat offenders being released by defendant-friendly judges and prosecutors in Democratic-led cities.
The Republican Party hopes to make crime a key issue for the White House and candidates entering the 2026 midterm elections.
“Democrats coddle criminals and abandon victims, and now an innocent young woman is dead because of it,” said Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “No amount of spin can wash away their radical, soft-on-crime record.”
Democrats had little cover.
Charlotte has a Democratic mayor and a 9-2 Democratic majority on the City Council. The local district attorney, Spencer Merriweather, was elected in 2018 and 2022 with no Republican opposition.
Democrats were blamed for allowing crime to run rampant and for botching their messaging in response to the attack.
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles called the killing a “senseless and tragic loss,” but her statement Saturday emphasized keeping the video under wraps.
“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public,” Ms. Lyles said. “I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family.”
Trending Politics co-founder Collin Rugg responded on X: “You sound more angry towards people sharing the footage than you are towards the violent thug who stabbed Iryna. Bizarre.”
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, also a Democrat, said Monday that he was “appalled by the footage of her murder” and called for putting “more cops on the beat to keep people safe.”
Will Chamberlain, senior counsel for the Article III Project, responded on X by pointing out that Mr. Brown had had numerous encounters with police.
“What on earth are you talking about, Governor? Decarlos Brown was arrested 14 times!” he wrote. “The police did their job. It’s your job to sign into law bills that keep career criminals in jail!”
Also facing criticism was Magistrate Teresa Stokes, who released Mr. Brown in January on a “written promise” to appear back in court.
He had been arrested on charges of “misuse of the 911 system” after calling 911 during a police welfare check to report “manmade” materials inside his body.
Rep. Randy Fine, Florida Republican, said Monday that he would introduce legislation to hold U.S. judges “personally responsible when they release violent criminals back onto the streets.”
“I guarantee this will solve the problem,” Mr. Fine said in a video post.
Conservatives frustrated with the lack of national media attention pointed to race, arguing that liberal outlets are eager to spotlight stories about White offenders or Black victims, but not the other way around.
“Iryna Zarutska was senselessly murdered by a career criminal who should never have been on the streets in the first place. And the media won’t tell you about it because the race doesn’t fit the narrative,” Brittany Hughes, managing editor of the conservative Media Research Center, said on X.
CNN media commentator Brian Stelter defended the lack of coverage by pointing out that “most murders in the U.S. never become national news.”
He said this case is being politicized and is fueling racism.
“This story has trickled up from local news to social media and now to the president’s attention, and it’s being used as a political symbol, with MAGA media calling for more forceful punishment and more incarceration,” Mr. Stelter said.
He added that “some of the comments around this story are baldly racist” and that “the open racism on sites like X today, it’s eye-popping.”
“But there are also legitimate questions about this so-called career criminal, someone who had been a repeat offender,” Mr. Stelter said.
Mr. Trump made it clear that the killing would become an issue in North Carolina’s 2026 U.S. Senate race for the open seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis.
Former Gov. Roy Cooper is the front-runner for the Democratic nomination.
“The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper,” Mr. Trump said on Truth Social. “North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!”
The Washington Times has reached out to the Cooper campaign for comment.
As of Monday evening, a GoFundMe page titled “In Loving Memory of Irina,” created Aug. 23, had raised nearly $100,000.
“Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon,” said the page organized by Evgeniya Rush.
Meanwhile, GoFundMe pulled down several online fundraisers advocating for Mr. Brown, saying that raising money to fund the legal defense of people charged with crimes violated its terms of service.
The fundraising pages had said Mr. Brown was as much of a victim as Zarutska and that helping him would aid the “fight against the racism and bias against our people,” as one fundraiser said.
“While what happened on the Blue Line was a tragedy, what we mustn’t lose sight of is the fact that Decarlos Brown Jr. was failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina, and as such is not entirely to blame for what happened,” another page said.
“Raising money to assist with legal fees for Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. Anything helps fight against the racism and bias against our people. Thank you for giving us a hand to push against this corrupt narrative,” another fundraiser said.
