WASHINGTON: The Justice Department on Tuesday charged a man with a lengthy arrest record with the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina commuter train last month, meaning he could face the death penalty.
The federal charge comes amid growing questions about why Decarlos Brown Jr. was on the street despite 14 prior criminal cases before he was accused of pulling out a knife and killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in an apparently random attack captured on video. The case has become latest flashpoint in the debate over whether cities such as Charlotte are adequately addressing violent crime, mental illness and transit safety.
Zarutska had come to the United States to escape the war in Ukraine, relatives wrote in a GoFundMe post, describing her as determined to build a safer life.
Brown was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder by North Carolina prosecutors. He now also faces a federal charge of causing death on a mass transportation system, which carries up to life in prison or the death penalty.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the killing was “a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.”
“We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man,” Bondi said in a statement.
The death penalty is a potential punishment for people convicted of first-degree murder in North Carolina. However, the state has not carried out an execution since 2006. Legal challenges over the use of lethal injection drugs and a doctor’s presence at executions have in part delayed action.
Brown had cycled through the criminal justice system for more than a decade, with 14 prior cases in Mecklenburg County, including serving five years for robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to court records. He was arrested earlier this year after repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital, claiming people were trying to control him. A judge released him without bail.
His mother told local television she sought an involuntary psychiatric commitment this year after he became violent at home. Doctors diagnosed him with schizophrenia.
Video released Friday shows Zarutska entering the light-rail train and taking a seat in front of Brown, who was seated behind her. Minutes later, without any apparent interaction, he pulls out a pocketknife, stands and slashes her in the neck, investigators said. Passengers scream and scatter as she collapses.
Man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee on North Carolina train charged with federal crime
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Man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee on North Carolina train charged with federal crime
- Zarutska had come to the US to escape the war in Ukraine, relatives wrote in a GoFundMe post, describing her as determined to build a safer life
- Attorney General Pam Bondi said: “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence”
Ukraine, US, Europe still seeking common ground in peace talks, French official says
- French presidency official: “The European perspective of Ukraine is clear and it’s a realistic perspective”
PARIS: Ukraine, the United States and European powers are still working to find a joint position that would outline the contours of a peace deal, including security guarantees for Kyiv, that could be taken to Russia, a French presidency official said on Friday.
“Our goal is to have a common foundation that is solid for negotiation. This common ground must unite Ukrainians, Americans and Europeans,” the official told reporters in a briefing.
“It should allow us, together, to make a negotiating offer, a solid, lasting peace offer that respects international law and Ukraine’s sovereign interests, an offer that American negotiators are willing to bring to the Russians.”
The official said there was no joint document yet, but all sides would carry on negotiations in the coming days through various calls and meetings. He did not say whether Washington had set a deadline.
Kyiv is under pressure from the White House to secure a quick peace but is pushing back on a US-backed plan proposed last month that many see as favorable to Moscow.
Britain, France and Germany, along with other European partners and Ukraine, have been working frantically in the last few weeks to refine the original US proposals that envisaged Kyiv giving up swathes of its territory to Moscow, abandoning its ambition to join NATO and accepting limits on the size of its armed forces.
The French official said the talks aimed at narrowing differences with the United States and centered on territory and potential security guarantees for Ukraine once there is a peace accord.
Those discussions include the possibility of a NATO Article-5 type clause involving Washington that would seek to reassure Kyiv in case it was once again attacked by Russia, the official said.
The Europeans have also faced pressure in recent weeks with some American proposals touching on elements that concern NATO and the European Union, including suggestions on fast-tracking Ukraine’s accession to the bloc.
“The European perspective of Ukraine is clear and it’s a realistic perspective,” the official said. “That is what we are committed to and it is up to the Europeans and the Ukrainians to agree on how to proceed.”
