From The Christian Post: Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, was murdered on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 22. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released a statement informing the public that DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, had been arrested for the crime after being discharged from a local hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and charged with first-degree murder.

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Although the murder happened over two weeks ago, the tragedy is only now gaining national attention following the release of security camera footage showing the moments immediately before and after the crime. The Trump administration is also weighing in on the circumstances that led to the murder.

The murder of someone who fled a war-torn region by a criminal with a lengthy record comes at a time when the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, as well as debates about law enforcement and criminal justice, are dominating American political discourse. Zarutska’s murder has led to calls for changes in the criminal justice system.

Here are five things to know about Iryna Zarutska, the suspect and what authorities are saying about their investigations.

1. The suspect was a career criminal with documented mental illness

In a letter to the Chief Judge of the North Carolina Judicial District 26 on Tuesday, Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., and North Carolina’s nine other Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives noted that Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes had released Brown from custody in January over a “written promise” to appear in court at a later date.

The letter said Brown had over a dozen prior arrests on his criminal record, including for possession of a firearm by a felon, robbery with a dangerous weapon and assault of his sister.

Brown was also arrested for committing a robbery with a dangerous weapon, which led to him serving a five-year prison sentence. Brown’s appearance before Stokes came after he was arrested for being “combative with police officers.”

The letter called for the initiation of removal proceedings against Stokes over what federal lawmakers characterized as her “willful and persistent failure to perform the duties of the office” and “conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into dispute” by releasing Brown.

Joe Bruno of the local news outlet WSOC-TV shared details about a conversation one of his colleagues had with Brown’s mother in an Aug. 27 X post. The suspect’s mother detailed how her son began “saying weird things” following his release from prison on the armed robbery charge, which prompted her to successfully secure an involuntary commitment order from the courts.

Despite his diagnosis with schizophrenia, Brown was released from psychiatric care. The suspect’s aggressive behavior led to his mother kicking him out, thereby making him homeless.

2. Federal agencies are investigating

Several members of the Trump administration have weighed in on Zarutska’s murder, announcing that federal investigations are underway to probe the tragedy. In a statement posted to X Sunday, FBI Director Kash Patel wrote, “The FBI has been investigating the Charlotte train murder from day one” and encouraged concerned members of the public to “Stay tuned.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced in an X post on Monday that his agency will be “investigating Charlotte over its failure to protect Iryna Zarutska” as he suggested that the city could lose federal funding. “If mayors can’t keep their trains and buses safe, they don’t deserve the taxpayers’ money,” he proclaimed.

While most of the blame for Zarutska’s death has been directed at local officials, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt contended at the White House press briefing Tuesday that policies embraced by state officials played a role in creating a climate that led to the attack as well. “All the way back in 2020, North Carolina’s then-Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper established a so-called Task Force for Racial Equity and Criminal Justice,” she recalled.

“It recommended ‘reimagining public safety to promote diversion and other alternatives to arrest.’ It also advised to de-emphasize some felony crimes, prioritize ‘restorative justice’ and eliminate cash bail,” she added.

Leavitt highlighted how Trump signed an executive order last month directing U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to compile a list of states and localities that have “substantially eliminated cash bail as a potential condition of pretrial release from custody for crimes that pose a clear threat to public safety and order” and identify federal funds allocated to said states and localities “that may be suspended or terminated, as appropriate and consistent with federal law.”

3. Charlotte Mayor calls for policy change as local police union decries too little, too late

In an X statement shared Monday, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, attributed Zarutska’s murder to a “tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.”

According to Lyles, “Our police officers arrest people only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety. We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets.”

Lyles vowed to increase security presence on the public transit system and identified fare enforcement as one of their areas of focus. She also indicated that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department would conduct increased patrols at certain transit stations.

In a Facebook post published Monday, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police suggested that the mayor’s call for action amounts to too little, too late: “Maybe if the mayor followed our Facebook page … for maybe the past 5 years or so, she’d see we’ve been complaining about this and calling for action.”

The local police union maintained that their calls for action were met with crickets, sharing emojis of the insects whose name is widely used as a synonym for silence.

“Maybe when our Lodge President called for the public resignation of then Chief District Court Judge Elizabeth Trosch, Mayor Lyles could have called him to find out more — she didn’t,” the post added. “It never should have happened. While we’ve been calling for change for years now, our ‘leaders’ finally care.”

The Facebook post also included an image of a 2023 statement outlining the Fraternal Order of Police’s concerns with Trosch, crediting her with implementing a policy that prioritizes “minimizing the unnecessary use of secure detention.” The statement included multiple examples of violent criminals winding up back on the streets after easily securing the bond necessary for release from custody and called for Trosch’s resignation.

4. Zarutska was a college graduate pursuing a career as a veterinary assistant

Zarutska’s obituary reveals that she arrived in the U.S. in August 2022 along with her mother, sister and brother to escape the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The obituary identified Zarutska as a graduate of Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in art and restoration, explaining that she “loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.”

Another passion of Zarutska’s highlighted in the obituary was her love of animals, illustrated by her willingness to walk her neighbors’ pets. The late Ukrainian refugee was studying to become a veterinary assistant and learning how to drive.

Additional interests of Zarutska listed in the obituary include “adventures, sightseeing, and exploring new places with her close friends.”

A GoFundMe fundraiser established to support Zartuska’s family as they seek assistance with covering the “unexpected expenses” stemming from her death has raised over $220,000 as of Wednesday morning.

5. A GoFundMe page set up for Brown has been deleted

Despite the fact that security camera footage shows Brown pulling a knife out of his pocket and preparing to stab Zarutska to death, as well as the moments following the attack showing Zarutska crying in pain, GoFundMe pages were established to raise money for the suspect.

Christina Pushaw, who works for Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, shared a screenshot of one such fundraiser on Sunday.

The fundraiser described its purpose as to raise money for “legal fees of Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr.,” insisting that “anything helps fight against the racism and bias of our people” and thanking donors for “giving us a hand to push against this corrupt narrative.” The message included in the fundraiser reflects the fact that Brown is black.

The crowdfunding platform released a statement Monday announcing that the fundraiser had been taken down: “GoFundMe’s Terms of Service explicitly prohibit fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with a violent crime. Consistent with this long-standing policy, all fundraisers for Decarlos Brown Jr.’s legal defense were swiftly removed from the platform, and any donors who contributed have been fully refunded.”

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This article was originally published at The Christian Post. Photo Credit: Charlotte Area Transit System.