Iryna Zarutska, 23, of Charlotte, North Carolina passed away on Friday, 22 August 2025.
Born on May 22, 2002, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Iryna was the beloved daughter of Anna Zarutska and Stanislav Zarutskyi. In August 2022, she emigrated from Ukraine alongside her mother, sister, and brother to escape the ongoing war with Russia. Upon arriving in North Carolina, USA, Iryna quickly embraced her new life with courage and hope.
A naturally gifted and passionate artist, Iryna graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in Art and Restoration. She generously shared her talent with those around her, often gifting her family and friends with beautiful, heartfelt pieces. She had a special love for sculpting and for designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.
A devoted animal lover, Iryna frequently cared for her neighbors’ pets and was often seen walking them through the neighborhood, always wearing her signature radiant smile. She dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant and was actively working toward that goal, while also learning to drive to gain her independence. Remarkably, she became fluent in English in a very short time, a testament to her determination and love of learning.
While Iryna enjoyed traveling, sightseeing, and sharing adventures with close friends, she was a homebody at heart—most content when surrounded by those she loved. Her mother fondly remembers her ability to sleep for long, peaceful stretches, something Iryna affectionately called an “artist’s gift.”
Only a few days ago on August 22, moments after texting her boyfriend to say she would be home soon, a man sitting behind her on the train stabbed her three times in the throat in an unprovoked situation.
Suspect In-Charge
The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, has a lengthy criminal record and now faces both a state charge of first-degree murder and a federal charge for causing death on a mass transportation system.
The federal charge carries the possibility of the death penalty; a punishment that President Donald J. Trump has expressed his willingness to support in this case.
Prosecutors continue their investigation, according to Russ Ferguson, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, who spoke on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Democratic and Republican leaders have exchanged sharp criticisms over who or what is responsible, not only for this incident but for the broader surge in violence across the country. This debate unfolds amid the Trump administration’s pledge to combat crime by deploying federal troops to predominantly Democratic-run cities.
Battling Unknown Battles
Brown, who was homeless at the time and living at a local shelter, asked his mother if he could stay the night, just days before the murder.
Later that morning, Brown’s mother dropped him off at a shelter on Statesville Avenue, a few miles from the Scaleybark station. She gave her son one last hug and said she loved him. Then she headed to church.
Ms. Dewitt later found out about the stabbing and the arrest of her beloved son. Before this tragic incident, she had kicked Brown out for becoming too violent. Yet, she still believed that identifying her son as the main suspect must have been a mistake.
But Brown, who had a history of mental health issues, had been struggling in recent years.
His sister, Tracey Brown, said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered from hallucinations and paranoia.
Decarlos Brown had spent more than five years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon. When he got out in 2020, his sister said he seemed like a different person.
“He didn’t seem like himself,” Tracey Brown said. Her brother struggled to hold simple conversations and couldn’t keep a job. He would sometimes become aggressive.
In 2022, Decarlos sadly attacked his sister; biting her and breaking the hinges off a door, but she decided to drop the charges out of concern for his mental health.
“I knew he was battling something,” Tracey Brown said. But the family struggled to get him help.
Their mother had previously tried to get Brown placed in a long-term mental health facility, but her efforts failed because she wasn’t his legal guardian.
Brown told his sister multiple times that the government had implanted a chip in him, she said.
Earlier this year, Brown asked officers to investigate a “man-made” material that he claimed controlled when he ate, walked, and talked, according to court documents. Officers told Brown that it was a medical issue and there was nothing more they could do. Upset, he called 911. Brown was charged with misuse of the emergency line, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
His release was conditioned on a written promise that he would appear at his next court hearing, according to court records. The White House later stated that his release left him “free to slaughter an innocent woman.”
Tracey Brown believes her brother suffered a disastrous mental break that night.
Video of the attack shows Brown fidgeting and appearing restless. He nodded his head, then shook it. Sitting with his hood pulled over his long hair, he abruptly sat upright, then slouched forward to rest his head on the seat in front of him. Occasionally, he swayed back and forth.
Finally, he attacked Zarutska, who had boarded the train just minutes earlier. Charlotte had been her refuge from the violence abroad, but there she lost her life.
“It’s very, very sickening and sad that we have such evil in our society today,” said Lonnie, a family friend said.
Brown later told his sister that he attacked the woman because she was reading his mind.
“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break,” she said.
“And I think that night, he broke.”
This tragedy shows why we shouldn’t take mental health lightly. I’m not here to excuse Mr. Brown’s actions, but we need to recognize how, as a society, we’ve failed the very people we’re supposed to protect and help. When that happens, we end up with situations like this. Iryna, a young, beautiful woman who was trying to escape war, lost her life in a place she believed would be safe. My thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family. Hopefully, Decarlos Brown gets the help he so desperately needs.
“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others,” by Albert Schweitzer.
sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/09/us/charlotte-train-stabbing-ukrainian-victim