Young Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska’s subway stabbing death fuels uproar

Outrage is building over the death of a young Ukrainian refugee who fled to the U.S. seeking safety, only to be stabbed to death in a random subway attack by a homeless ex-convict with multiple previous arrests.

Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 22 death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian-born pizza worker who was sitting in front of him riding the light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, when she was attacked from behind.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department affidavit said there was “no interaction between the victim and the defendant” before he pulled a knife out of his pocket, unfolded it, stood up, and struck her three times, including at least once in the throat.

The story went from local to national after the Charlotte Area Transit System released surveillance video from the subway car Friday showing the deadly attack, spurring a social-media uproar over a lack of media coverage.

Brown had a lengthy arrest record.

He was named in 14 previous court cases in Mecklenburg County, was sentenced to six years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny in 2015, according to WCNC-TV in Charlotte.

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— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 7, 2025

End Wokeness, a popular X account, said there had been no stories about the crime in major news outlets, prompting billionaire Elon Musk to respond: “Zero.”

A GoFundMe page entitled “In Loving Memory of Irina” created Aug. 23 had raised $58,000 as of Sunday.

“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.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, called Zarutska’s death a “senseless and tragic loss,” but urged “media partners” and others not to repost the shocking video.

“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public,” she said in a Saturday statement. “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.”

Conservative commentator Ian Miles Cheong countered on X that “this is how victims are erased. A young woman is stabbed to death in front of strangers on a train, and the political class rushes not to shine a light but to pull the curtains closed.”

Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk drew a comparison to that of Daniel Penny, the ex-Marine who was charged in the 2023 death of Jordan Neely after putting him in a chokehold to stop him from threatening subway riders. Mr. Penny was found not guilty.

“If you want to know why your ratings are in the tank and no one likes you, look no further than the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska who moved to [the] US to escape war in Ukraine, a story you refuse to tell. Sadly she couldn’t survive the Democrats’ criminal justice system,” said Mr. Kirk on X.