A young woman stabbed to death last week on the light rail in Charlotte had recently fled to the Queen City from Ukraine, according to a fundraiser for the woman’s family.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was identified as the victim of a deadly stabbing on the Lynx Blue Line light rail system on Friday, Aug. 22. Zarutska had recently fled from war-torn Ukraine for a new beginning in Charlotte, according to a GoFundMe set up soon after Zarutska’s death.
Charlotte police said a man named Decarlos Brown, Jr. will be charged with first degree murder once he’s released from the hospital. Brown was reportedly somehow injured in the stabbing attack.
Court records show that Charlotte police had arrested Brown before -- most recently for reportedly misusing 911.
According to a January arrest record, Brown told responding officers during a welfare check that he believed someone gave him “man-made” material that was inside his body, controlling when he ate, walked, and talked.
Police had not given a motive for Brown’s alleged attack on Zarutska last week.
Woman killed in Charlotte light rail stabbing recently fled from Ukraine, loved ones say
Man to be charged with murder, police said
Decarlos Brown, 34, was arrested shortly after police responded to the scene. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He’s charged with first-degree murder.
Brown has been arrested multiple times since 2011, according to court records. Charges have included felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, and communicating threats. Almost all charges were dropped. He was charged with misuse of the 911 system in January. The charge is pending. Police conducted a welfare check on Brown, who told them he believed a person gave him a “man-made” material that controlled when he did things like eat, walk and talk, an affidavit said.
“Brown wanted officers to investigate this ‘man-made’ material that was inside of his body,” the affidavit said. “Officers advised Brown that the issue was medical issue and that there was nothing further they could do.”
The affidavit said Brown became upset with officers, called 911 to speak with police, and was arrested after hanging up. His attorney, public defender Brianna Buford, filed a motion questioning his “capacity to proceed.”
Dear friends,
Our Valeria has suffered a terrible tragedy. Yesterday, her niece Ira, who was 22 years old was killed.
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.
This is an irreparable loss for her family. We have created this fundraiser to support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses.
Any support you can give — whether through a donation or simply by sharing this page — will mean so much to the family.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kindness and compassion.
Donate to In loving memory of Iryna, organized by EVGENIYA RUSH
Dear friends, Our Valeria and her husband (Frank Scott Haskell, Iryna’s uncle), has suffer… EVGENIYA RUSH needs your support for In loving memory of Iryna
$86,499 raised
GoFundMe has yanked sickening online fundraisers for the maniac accused of murdering a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train after the legal defense funds sparked widespread outrage.
The fundraising pages suggested Decarlos Brown Jr. — a career criminal with no fewer than 14 arrests — is just as much a victim as Iryna Zarutska, the woman seen being knifed dozens of times in a random attack.
Helping the 35-year-old homeless suspect would also support the “fight against the racism and bias against our people,” one fundraiser reckoned.
