GoFundMe Pulls Fundraiser For Ex-Con Accused Of Random Stabbing In Viral Video

GoFundMe removed multiple fundraisers for repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee in late August, according to the New York Post.

One campaign set a $35,000 goal but raised only $5 before being taken down. Another sought legal funding for Brown — who has 14 prior arrests — claiming the report would “fight against the racism and bias against our people,” the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘This Is Disgusting’: Axios Trots Out ‘GOP Pounces’ Angle In Story About Stabbing Death Of Charlotte Refugee)

One fundraiser argued that Brown had been “failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina” and was “not entirely to blame” for the stabbing, the Post reported. Another page urged donations to “giv[e] us a hand to push against this corrupt narrative” and cover his legal fees, before it was removed.

New video shows the moments leading up to and following the deadly stabbing of a woman on the Charlotte light rail.
See footage here: https://t.co/Gm19qv9x8C
(WARNING: Content is graphic.) pic.twitter.com/6yMqkp93Ml

— WBTV News (@WBTV_News) September 5, 2025

WBTV News reported that the victim, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, was seated in front of Brown on a North Carolina light rail train when he allegedly attacked her. Surveillance footage released Friday appears to show Brown suddenly lunging at Zarutska about four minutes after she boarded, stabbing her three times, including once in the neck, before stripping off his bloodied clothes and exiting at the next stop.

A separate fundraiser for Zarutska, who was pronounced dead at the scene, has brought in more than $82,000 to assist her daughter Valeria and other loved ones with expenses, according to the campaign page.

“GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with a violent crime,” a GoFundMe spokesperson told the Daily Caller in a statement. “Consistent with this long-standing policy, all fundraisers for Decarlos Brown Jr.’s legal defense have been removed from the platform, and any donors who contributed have been fully refunded.”