Iryna Zarutska’s chilling murder: Killer DeCarlos Brown faces death penalty | Key updates

Days after Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, was brutally stabbed to death on a North Carolina commuter train in the US, the Justice Department on Tuesday charged the accused with a federal crime that could carry the death penalty.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks on a fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian woman Iryna Zarutska aboard a North Carolina train during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 9, 2025.(REUTERS)

Authorities said 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was repeatedly stabbed from behind by 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr. last month while riding a light rail train in the southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina.