Trump demands death penalty for suspect in killing of Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte

New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 11, 2025 01:24 IST

US President Donald Trump has said the suspect who fatally stabbed a Ukrainian woman on a Charlotte light rail should face the death penalty.

“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 wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

The victim, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, was stabbed to death on August 22. The suspect, 34-year-old repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr, was arrested the same day and charged with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, a crime that could make him eligible for the death penalty. Authorities said the attack was unprovoked.

The killing has sparked a political blame game. Transportation Secretary Duffy announced a security probe and warned federal funding could be withheld if security flaws are found in Charlotte’s transit system. Duffy attributed the tragedy to “soft on crime policies” of local leaders, saying this endangers the traveling public. His department reported six attacks on transit workers in Charlotte this year, compared with just one last year, and above the national average.

Duffy and Trump cited last month’s fatal train attack as further proof that Democratic-led cities are failing to combat crime. Democrats countered that Republicans are misleading the public while refusing to provide adequate funding for law enforcement in a state budget the GOP-controlled General Assembly has yet to pass.

Democratic Senate candidate Roy Cooper highlighted his record on crime as governor and attorney general. His likely Republican rival, former RNC chairman Michael Whatley, tried to tie the violence to Cooper’s creation of a task force on racial bias in the criminal justice system, even though the task force lacked authority to release prisoners.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles published an open letter on Monday calling Zarutska’s death a “tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.” She wrote that police “arrest people only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety.” Lyles urged a bipartisan solution to deal with repeat offenders who avoid consequences and individuals with untreated mental illness who remain on the streets.

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With inputs from Reuters

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