The release of video footage depicting a deranged light rail rider viciously murdering a young woman at Charlotte, North Carolina, has spurred outrage over the local judiciary’s lax response toward repeat offenders and attempts to downplay publicity of the case by local authorities. 

The murder of a Ukrainian refugee, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, by 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., a 14-time offender who spent six years in prison before his release in 2020, took place on August 22. Video released Friday by the transit system shows Zarutska quietly sitting on the Charlotte Blue Lynx line looking at her phone. Behind her sits Brown, who is seen resting his head on the glass window before he appears agitated, stands up, and stabs her in the neck three times. He then calmly disembarks from the train. 

Bystanders can be seen trying to save Zarutska, who came with her family to America three years ago to escape the war in Europe. She shared the train ride with Brown for 4.5 minutes.

She fled the war, only to be killed in the United States.

Twenty-three-year-old Ukrainian Irina Zarutska was fatally stabbed in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The attacker was a 34-year-old man named Decarlos Brown Jr., who has since been detained. pic.twitter.com/bsRktu6NxC

— Marta Havryshko (@HavryshkoMarta) September 6, 2025

The footage, released Friday, spurred outrage in social media after reports that transit officials slow-walked its release. Local reporter Joe Bruno of WSOC-TV acknowledged that he and his editors decided not to release the video to spare Zarutska’s family further anguish.

“I made the call with a small group of managers who watched the clips to not show any video of Iryna on the train. This is out of respect to her family, who may not have seen the video,” he wrote.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles on Saturday thanked the media for not sharing the video.

“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public. I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage,” Ms. Lyles said Saturday in first public statement about the incident.  

“I’ve been thinking hard about what safety really looks like in our city. I remain committed to doing all we can to protect our residents and ensure Charlotte is a place where everyone feels safe,” she continued.

However, the mayor’s sensitivity infuriated followers of the case. “The corporate media is fundamentally corrupt. And dishonest,” Senator Ted Cruz of Texas wrote on X early Sunday morning.

The case has received extensive local coverage and some national reporting. Mr. Bruno, who has closely followed the story, reported three days after the murder that Brown had a long criminal record, being arrested most recently in January 2025 for misuse of the 911 system. A wellness check of Brown suggested he may have been experiencing some mental breakdown. 

“Brown called 911 from Novant Hospital and claimed someone gave him ‘man made material’ that was controlling when he ate, walked and talked. Not satisfied with the officer’s response that this was a medical issue and nothing they could do, police say Brown continued to call 911. He was then criminally charged,” Mr. Bruno reported.

In a July hearing related to the case, Mr. Bruno reported Brown’s public defender “questioned Brown’s mental capacity and whether he could proceed” before Judge Roy Wiggins appointed a forensic evaluation. Throughout the process, Brown, who is homeless, remained free.

Brown’s record dates back to 2011. He was sentenced to six years in prison in 2015 after he was convicted for two separate incidents in 2013 and 2014, for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny.

The January arrest was Brown’s third since his release from prison in September 2020. He was arrested in February 2021 for allegedly assaulting his sister and property crimes, and again in July 2022 on a domestic disturbance charge after allegedly assaulting a woman. 

The Charlotte Area Transit System reported last week that Brown had not paid the fare to board the bus that took him to the train station or the fare for the train. Local authorities say transit drivers are discouraged from engaging with fare jumpers for safety reasons, but should call security. 

The city’s transit security team is wildly understaffed. In an emergency county council meeting held last Tuesday, the Interim Charlotte Area Transit System CEO Brent Cagle said he is seeking to add additional law enforcement to the current security force. However, he emphasized mental health responses for criminal offenders must accompany law enforcement. The area transit system announced it has banned Brown from using the system.

After settling in the Charlotte area, Zarutska attended community college. A GoFundMe page set up for her family has raised more than $60,000.