President Donald Trump is calling for a man accused of fatally stabbing a young woman who was a refugee from Ukraine to be put to death.
Trump on Wednesday demanded the death penalty for Decarlos Brown Jr, 34, who allegedly killed Iryna Zarutska, 23, on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month.
‘The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a “Quick” (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,’ wrote Trump on his Truth Social platform.
‘There can be no other option!!!’
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Trump previously condemned the attack, but it is the first time that he has raised capital punishment for the case.
CCTV footage shows Zarutska being stabbed multiple times by a man appearing to use a pocket knife while aboard a Lynx Blue Line train on August 22.
‘I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,’ Trump wrote on his social media site on Monday.
The president added that the suspect was a ‘well known career criminal’ who had been arrested and released on cashless bail 14 times.
‘What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP,’ Trump concluded.
Brown, who is homeless, faces a federal charge of committing an act causing death on a mass transit system, and a state charge of first-degree murder.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday said she would ‘seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime’.
Brown ‘will never again see the light of day as a free man’, she said.
Zarutska immigrated to the US with her mother, sister and brother to escape the war with Russia.
‘She quickly embraced her new life in the United States,’ states her obituary.
Zarutska graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant because she loved animals.
‘She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork,’ it states. ‘She loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.