Overview

• Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed on August 22 on Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line, and Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was arrested at the scene.
• Brown faces North Carolina first-degree murder and a federal count for causing a death in a mass-transit system, which carries potential life imprisonment or the death penalty.
• President Donald Trump publicly pressed for capital punishment and framed the case in a broader push for tougher law-and-order policies.
• Family accounts and court records describe Brown’s extensive criminal history and a schizophrenia diagnosis, while newly leaked jail-call audio has him claiming implanted “materials” controlled his actions.
• GoFundMe removed pages seeking Brown’s legal defense and said donors would be refunded, and a separate fundraiser for Zarutska’s family has surpassed $75,000.