Trump says Iryna Zarutska’s murder is “on the hands of the Democrats”

President Donald Trump said the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in North Carolina is “on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail.”

In a post on Monday, Trump said he had watched “the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee” being “brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic” on the LYNX Blue Line in Charlotte. He described the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., as “a well-known career criminal” with 14 prior arrests who had been released on cashless bail in January.

“What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets?” Trump said. “Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”

Trump accused Democrats and former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, now a U.S. Senate candidate, of contributing to the state’s crime policies.

Zarutska was fatally stabbed in a “random and unprovoked” attack on August 22 while riding the Blue Line near the East/West Boulevard station in Charlotte’s South End neighborhood, according to Charlotte officials.

Surveillance footage shows the suspect standing up during the ride and stabbing Zarutska multiple times, including in the neck, before exiting the train and being taken into custody.

According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, Zarutska died at the scene. Brown, a Black male, was charged with first-degree murder and remains in the Mecklenburg County jail after being denied bond on August 29.

Court records show Brown has a long history of arrests, including convictions for robbery and breaking and entering, and was previously sentenced to more than six years in prison. His attorney has requested a mental health evaluation.

Zarutska emigrated from Kyiv with her family in 2022 to escape the war in Ukraine. Loved ones described her as a gifted artist and animal lover who dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant.