CNN is facing backlash for downplaying the Charlotte Train Murder, in which suspect DeCarlos Brown fatally stabbed Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. Despite video evidence, CNN contributor Van Jones claimed there was “no evidence” the killing was racially motivated.
Jones criticized conservative commentator Charlie Kirk for saying Zarutska “was murdered just because she was white.” On CNN NewsNight, Jones argued, “We don’t know why that man did what he did. And for Charlie Kirk to say, ‘We know he did it because she’s white’ when there’s no evidence of that is just pure race-mongering, hate-mongering. It’s wrong.”
But surveillance footage contradicts that claim. After stabbing Zarutska without provocation, Brown was heard saying, “I got that white girl, got that white girl,” while walking through the train car.
The Department of Justice announced federal charges Tuesday, with Attorney General Pam Bondi vowing to “seek the maximum penalty,” saying Brown “will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
Kirk pointed to a glaring media double standard, noting that outlets like the New York Times framed the murder as igniting “a firestorm on the right” rather than focusing on Zarutska’s death. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also contrasted the muted coverage with the case of Daniel Penny, arguing, “Many of the journalists in this room spilled plenty of ink, trying to smear Daniel Penny… but none of those same reporters lift a finger to write stories about an actual murderer.”
As Bondi made clear, “Brown will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
