The Ukrainian refugee was brutally stabbed in August on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a man with a long criminal history.
A US grand jury has indicted a North Carolina man accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, in a case that could carry the death penalty, media reported.
Zarutska was murdered on August 22 while riding a train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Surveillance footage showed Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, stabbing her three times in the neck before fleeing the scene with the knife still in his hand. According to the footage, the assault appeared to be unprovoked and there was no exchange between the two before the attack. Brown was arrested shortly after and charged with first-degree murder.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury on Wednesday. The prosecution reportedly claims that “intentionally murdered” Zarutska: charge that earns him the death penalty.
A lawyer representing Zarutska’s family said in a statement Thursday that they were “pleased” with the accusation and we look forward to “quick justice.”
Brown’s criminal record spans more than a decade and includes burglary offenses as well as robbery with a dangerous weapon, court records show. He previously served five years in prison for the robbery conviction.
Zarutska’s murder has renewed calls for capital punishment. US President Donald Trump described Brown as a “animal” and urged that the death penalty be applied. In late September, Trump signed an executive order reinstating the death penalty for murder in Washington, D.C., saying it would help deter violent crime.
Currently, twenty-seven US states grant permits, while 23 have abolished them. North Carolina has maintained a moratorium on the death penalty since the early 2000s.
Earlier this month, the state enacted Iryna Law, which reinstates the death penalty and directs officials to find alternative methods of execution if lethal injection is not available.
In April, North Carolina lawmakers proposed legalizing firing squads and the electric chair. Governor Josh Stein has called the idea “barbarian” and said there will be no firing squads in the state during his term.
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