GoFundMe Shuts Down Fundraisers for Accused Killer of Ukrainian Refugee [WATCH]

GoFundMe has removed multiple fundraising pages created in support of a North Carolina man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee aboard a Charlotte train, after the campaigns prompted widespread backlash, as reported by The New York Post.

The fundraising efforts were launched on behalf of 35-year-old Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., a homeless man with a lengthy criminal record that includes more than a dozen convictions dating back to 2014.

GREAT NEWS: The fundraiser page for the black male MURDERER of Iryna Zarutska has been taken down.

Now lock this monster up and give him capital punishment. https://t.co/hr8rE1tqqY pic.twitter.com/J29Xkm9atk

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 7, 2025

Brown is charged with the August 22 murder of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was attacked aboard the city’s Blue Line light rail.

Several of the now-deleted pages portrayed Brown as a victim rather than the assailant.

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One page claimed, “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 fundraiser stated that donations would “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.”

The appeals for money were widely condemned after surveillance footage captured the brutal attack, showing Zarutska being stabbed repeatedly inside the train carriage. The video circulated online, intensifying outrage over the fundraising attempts.

23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed in an unprovoked attack by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. on Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line train

Iryna Zarutska’s blood is on the hands of the state that freed her murderer 14 TIMES instead of keeping him INCARCERATED pic.twitter.com/15R4kCd61Y

— Sumit (@SumitHansd) September 7, 2025

Social media users quickly condemned both the fundraisers and those contributing to them.

“You can’t make this up. He [allegedly] murdered in cold blood and yet his supporters want you to think he was ‘failed’ by the system,” one post read on X.

Another wrote, “Anyone who donated to the GoFundMe for Decarlos Dejuan Brown should be named and f**king shamed!” Others emphasized that the only victim in the case was Zarutska, not Brown.

The public reaction prompted GoFundMe to intervene.

The platform released a statement explaining its decision to remove the fundraisers: “GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime.

Consistent with this long-standing policy, this fundraiser has been removed from the platform and the donors who contributed to the fundraiser have been fully refunded.”

While support campaigns for Brown were taken down, a separate fundraiser for Zarutska’s family has received strong backing. That page has collected more than $75,000, with donations continuing to climb.

Brown remains in custody facing a murder charge in connection with the deadly attack. Court records confirm his extensive history of arrests and convictions, underscoring long-standing concerns about repeat offenders and public safety.

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