A repeat criminal offender is facing a federal charge in the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee last month on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the latest escalation of a case fueling a White House crusade against purported violent crime in Democratic-led cities.
Decarlos Brown, 34, was charged Tuesday with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, after Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack August 22 inside a light rail car. Brown also has been charged in North Carolina with first-degree murder.
“We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
Recently released video of the stabbing and Brown’s lengthy criminal history have stirred a simmering debate about crime in major US cities, with many Republicans – up to President Donald Trump – pointing to the attack as justification for the federal government to send troops into urban hubs such as Chicago and Washington, DC.
The attack is also being investigated by the FBI.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Stephen Watts, Holly Yan, Sara Smart, Dianne Gallagher and Mia Blackman contributed to this report.
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