North Carolina grand jury indicts man accused of killing Ukrainian woman on Charlotte light rail

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian woman on a Charlotte light rail two months ago was indicted by a North Carolina grand jury on Wednesday.

Decarlos Brown Jr. was indicted by a grand jury on Wednesday, Oct. 22, for violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death.

Brown is accused of stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail at the end of August.

The indictment also states that Brown could be eligible for the death penalty based off a prior conviction in a 2015 armed robbery.

If convicted, Brown could face the death penalty or life in prison.

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Lauren Newton, the attorney representing the Zarutska Family released the following statement:

“The family is pleased the federal grand jury returned the indictment against Decarlos Brown Jr. We are hopefully for swift justice.”

Brown remains in federal custody and awaiting his next court appearance.

What does it mean to be indicted by a grand jury?

A prosecutor would gather information from investigators and from those involved to determine if the case should be presented to a grand jury.

A grand jury is a group of impartial people who are shown evidence and hear from witnesses who may be called to testify, outlining the case for grand jury members. This allows them to determine if there is enough evidence to charge the person with a crime and proceed with a criminal trial.

Brown was charged with first-degree murder.

23-year-old killed on Aug. 22

At around 9:50 p.m. on Aug. 22, a light rail passenger apparently stabbed Iryna Zarutska several times. Officials said she was stabbed in the throat at least one time.

Zarutska died on the light rail.

Brown, 34, was arrested soon after and charged with first-degree murder in connection with Zarutska’s killing. A federal charge was also brought against Brown in September.

Brown was ordered to remain in jail and undergo a competency evaluation.

In January 2025, Brown was arrested for misuse of 911. Police officers wrote that Brown believed “someone gave him a ‘man-made’ material that controlled when he ate, walked, talked.”

Stabbing happened within minutes of Zarutska boarding

Graphic video obtained on Sept. 5 shows that the attack happened within minutes of Zarutska getting on the light rail, as officials previously reported.

At 9:46 p.m. on Aug. 22, Zarutska entered the train and sat down in front of Brown.

Brown allegedly attacked Zarutska at 9:50 p.m.

At 9:52 p.m., at least one bystander could be seen running to Zarutska to render aid.

About 30 seconds later, Brown exited the train at its next stop.

Authorities reportedly found Brown shortly after the deadly stabbing. He was taken to the hospital for a laceration on the outside of his hand, and then charged with murder after his release from the hospital.

It was not clear exactly how Brown was injured in the attack.

It was believed that Zarutska and Brown did not know each other. A motive for the stabbing was not immediately clear.

North Carolina gov. signs ‘Iryna’s Law’

Following the death of Zarutska back in August, a new bill was signed into law on Friday, Oct. 3, titled “Iryna’s Law.”

A controversial part of the bill included the reinstatement of the death penalty in North Carolina. Since Iryna’s death, multiple politicians have called for the death penalty to make a return, including President Donald Trump.

A moratorium on the death penalty in North Carolina went into effect in the early 2000s. Before that, the last person sentenced to death in the Tar Heel state was placed on death row in 1998.

Stein took issue with the return of executions and giving prisoners the option of firing squad, calling the action “barbaric.” He further stated that there would be no firing squad while he was governor.