Overview

• Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, now faces a federal count of causing death on a mass transportation system alongside a state first-degree murder charge in the Aug. 22 killing of Iryna Zarutska.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors will seek the maximum penalty, and President Trump has publicly called for the death penalty in the case.
• Brown is detained without bond, a judge has ordered a competency evaluation, and court records list at least 14 prior cases and a schizophrenia diagnosis after a recent psychiatric commitment.
• The FBI says it has been investigating since day one and the U.S. Department of Transportation has opened a review of Charlotte transit security, with Secretary Sean Duffy criticizing local leaders.
• Zarutska’s family issued a statement demanding justice and public safety reforms, while Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles pledged increased security and called the case a failure of the courts and magistrates.