President Donald Trump said on Wednesday morning that the repeat offender accused of stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska to death on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, should be executed.
Trump referred to 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. as an “ANIMAL,” who “violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine.” Brown was charged by the Justice Department with a federal crime on Tuesday in connection with the gruesome stabbing that was caught on camera.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!” Trump posted on Truth Social.
The DOJ charged Brown with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. The federal charge makes Brown eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the feds “will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
Video footage of the deadly stabbing, which occurred in August, shows Brown standing up behind the young woman while holding a knife before plunging the weapon into Zarutska three times, with at least one stab to the neck. The man then walks toward the door of the train, with blood dripping off the knife.
The full video footage of the killing, which was released on Tuesday, showed Zarutska looking up in shock after being stabbed before she slumped to the floor, and blood pooled around her.
Brown has a long criminal rap sheet, with 14 previous arrests for offenses such as armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, The Daily Wire previously reported. He served five years for the armed robbery, but he avoided jail time after most of his other arrests. Last year, Brown had run-ins with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on at least three separate occasions, receiving referrals to resources and fines instead of jail time.
Trump has blasted Democratic policies following the fatal stabbing, saying that Zarutska’s blood “is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail.” The president has also criticized the legacy media over its lack of coverage of the killing. Some outlets, such as Axios and POLITICO, have focused on covering the Republican outrage instead of the stabbing itself or Brown’s criminal record.
“North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it! Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy?” Trump added.
