The family of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska is demanding justice and systemic change after she was brutally stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail train last month.
Zarutska, who fled Ukraine in 2022 with her mother, brother, and sister, was murdered on August 22 in an attack caught on surveillance video.
Family Statement
“We are heartbroken beyond words,” a family spokesperson said in a statement obtained by WSOC-9.
“Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way. No family should have to go through this.”
Iryna Zarutska
The family called on prosecutors to ensure her accused killer, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., is locked up permanently.
Beyond the case itself, relatives said the tragedy highlights “a broader crisis in public safety and systemic failure.”
They urged local officials to examine how