Iryna Zautska's family has spoken out after the 23-year-old's horrifying murder on a Charlotte light rail last month, sharing their heartbreak and demanding justice.
“We are heartbroken beyond words. Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way,” a spokesperson for the family said in a statement. "No family should have to go through this."
Breaking: We have obtained a statement from the family of Iryna Zarutska. The family's attorney released this statement.
— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 9, 2025
Family of Iryna Zarutska Demands Justice and Public Safety Reform Following Tragic Killing on Charlotte’s Blue Line
CHARLOTTE, NC – The family of 23-year-old… pic.twitter.com/6dFmm8FxeL
🇺🇸 FAMILY OF SLAIN UKRAINIAN REFUGEE DEMANDS JUSTICE: "HER LIFE WAS STOLEN IN MOST HORRIFIC WAY"
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 10, 2025
Iryna Zarutska's family issued statement after the 23-year-old was stabbed to death on Charlotte light rail by Decarlos Brown Jr., who had 14 prior arrests and schizophrenia.
Family… https://t.co/z7wFMPLEKN pic.twitter.com/HTvIzrFLg0
Zarutska's family demanded that Decarlos Brown, the man who stabbed the young woman multiple times in a random and brutal attack, be locked up, and that public officials fix the “broader crisis in public safety and systemic failure.”
Iryna Zarutska had recently immigrated to the United States to escape war-torn Ukraine. She started working immediately after receiving her work permit, helping out at a senior citizen center, a pizza place, and taking care of animals in her neighborhood, according to NBC News. She had also recently moved in with her boyfriend and was taking English classes at a local community college.
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On the night of her murder, she texted her boyfriend that she was on her way home from work. He became concerned when she never arrived home and checked her location to find her still at the light rail station. Upon arriving at the station, he was devastated to learn she had died.
Valeria Haskell, Zarutska's aunt, who lives in Huntersville, about 15 miles away from Charlotte, said that her niece’s family is not only trying to survive in a country torn by war, but is now also struggling to cope with the murder of a loved one, according to the New York Post. She told the Daily Mail, “I feel like people can’t imagine what we are going through.”
Haskell said that Zarutska's mother is struggling the most and is so devastated by Zarutska’s death that she has shut herself inside her home in Ukraine and is still struggling to come to terms with her loss.
Decarlos Brown Jr., the man who took Iryna's life away from her, has a 15-year prior criminal record and was recently hit with federal charges. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement, "Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream. Her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people." President Trump has called for Brown to receive the death penalty.
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