Decarlos Brown Jr., who stabbed and killed 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train, belongs to a family with a history of extensive criminal activity. This is reported by the Daily Mail, writes UNN.
Details
34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. is a career criminal and schizophrenic accused of the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.
His siblings and father also have long criminal records, as evidenced by court and law enforcement documents. Brown Jr.'s brother, Stacey, killed a 65-year-old man and fled from police in October 2012. In April 2014, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of armed robbery, assault with intent to kill, and damaging a vehicle.
According to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office, the brother was sentenced to 27-36 years in prison.
While in prison, he committed 44 offenses, including crimes such as assault with a deadly weapon, arson, property theft, and breaking and entering. According to the North Carolina prison database, he also received a suspended sentence for a 2010 conviction for threatening government or assault.
Decarlos's sister, 33-year-old Tracey Vontrea Brown, has a criminal record that includes larceny, conspiracy to commit a felony, vehicle theft, resisting officers, and an arrest in 2024 for felony conspiracy, shoplifting, and misdemeanor larceny.
The family patriarch, Decarlos Brown Sr., was also arrested, reportedly for breaking and entering, conspiracy to commit a felony, larceny, and possession of a weapon on a university campus in 1990.
Decarlos Jr. has at least 14 prior arrests and was released from jail in January on a "written promise to appear." He was accused of abusing the 911 system when he allegedly had a mental health episode.
Months later, in August, on the same train his brother had fled from police years earlier, he stabbed Zarutska.
After the injury, a video circulated showing the woman bleeding for several minutes without any assistance. In the video, Decarlos Jr. is reportedly heard saying, "I caught that white girl."
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the federal charges he will face: "Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed crime policies that prioritized criminals over innocent people."
"We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never see the light of day as a free man again," Bondi said.
Addition
Young Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska, who fled the war, died from stab wounds at a train station in Charlotte. Police arrested 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, who has been charged with first-degree murder.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed federal charges against Brown for the murder of the Ukrainian refugee. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty.