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U.S.|Man Accused in Brutal N.C. Rail Slaying Faces Federal Charge
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/us/charlotte-light-rail-stabbing-charges.html
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A conviction would make the man, who is accused of killing a Ukrainian refugee on a light rail train in Charlotte, eligible for the federal death penalty.
Sept. 9, 2025Updated 5:28 p.m. ET
The Justice Department filed a criminal charge on Tuesday against the man accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman on a light rail train in Charlotte, N.C., last month. The case has captured widespread national attention since grisly video of the attack was released.
The man, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, was charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, according to the Justice Department. If convicted in the death of Iryna Zarutska, a refugee from Ukraine, he could face the federal death penalty.
The new charge stems from a law aimed at terrorist attacks on mass transit, including trains. Federal officials used the charge to prosecute a man who opened fire on a New York City subway train in Brooklyn in 2022, shooting 10 people. The man, Frank James, eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.
But it is rare for federal officials to file charges in a seemingly random act of street violence, when a suspect has already been charged with murder by state or local officials.
In announcing the federal charge, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that her office would “seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
Mr. Brown could also face the death penalty if convicted in North Carolina, where he has been charged with first-degree murder. The state has not carried out an execution since 2006, largely because of legal challenges related to drugs used for lethal injection.
