President Donald Trump is calling for the death penalty for Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of brutally murdering 23-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska in a train stabbing last month in Charlotte, North Carolina. Trump made the statement Wednesday morning on Truth Social, condemning the suspect and the liberal criminal justice system that released him prior to the killing.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine… should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!” Trump wrote.
Zarutska was reportedly heading home after a shift at a pizzeria on August 22 when she was attacked on the Charlotte metro train. Newly released footage shows Brown pulling a knife and stabbing her in the neck without provocation while she looked at her phone.
Brown had been arrested earlier in 2024 but was released without bail by a liberal judge—despite a long history of criminal behavior. Over the last 14 years, Brown accumulated 14 charges, including armed robbery, felony larceny, and breaking and entering. He previously served five years for a robbery with a deadly weapon.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted how North Carolina’s far-left criminal justice reforms contributed to Zarutska’s death. She pointed to the 2020 racial equity task force established by then-Gov. Roy Cooper and led by current Gov. Josh Stein, which advocated for ending cash bail, de-emphasizing felony crimes, and prioritizing “restorative justice.”
Trump directly linked the tragedy to Democrat policies. “In every place they control—radical left judges, politicians, and activists—they’ve adopted a policy of catch and release for thugs and killers,” he said in a video message. “In Charlotte… a 23-year-old woman who came here from Ukraine met her bloody end on a public train.”
