News24 | Trump demands death penalty for ‘animal’ DeCarlos Brown Jr, after horrific video surfaces

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks alongside a photo of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was allegedly killed by Decarlos Brown Jr (R), on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Ukraine immigrant Iryna Zarutska was killed on a train.
• Video showed DeCarlos Brown Jr stabbing her.
• US President Donald Trump demanded the death penalty for Brown.

US President Donald Trump demanded the death penalty on Wednesday for a man charged with murdering a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train - a crime the US right has turned into a political rallying point.

“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. There can be no other option!!!“ Trump posted on his social media platform.

Trump’s demand came after his attorney general, Pam Bondi, said she would pursue the “maximum penalty” against 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr.

Brown is accused of stabbing to death Iryna Zarutska, 23, as she rode home from work on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.

Horrific security camera footage of the knife assault has been shared massively on right-wing outlets and social media accounts to bolster Trump’s controversial crime crackdown.

READ | Trump hits out at ‘radical left’ over Charlie Kirk killing, vows crackdown as manhunt continues

Trump has deployed National Guard soldiers on the streets of Washington, DC, and has repeatedly threatened to expand the deployments to other Democratic-run cities.

Republicans say this is needed to reduce what they call out-of-control crime, while opponents accuse Trump of authoritarian overreach - and point to statistics showing steep overall reductions in many crimes.

In the North Carolina case, the White House and its allies have highlighted the initial response by local Democratic officials who stressed the alleged killer’s history of mental health problems.

Brown has multiple prior convictions - including an armed robbery that led to five years in prison, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Tuesday, calling him a “monster” who “should have been locked up”.

Authorities say Iryna Zarutska was repeatedly stabbed from behind by 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr while riding a light rail train in the southern city of Charlotte, North Carolina.

“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,” Bondi said in a statement.

Brown is charged with one federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, and faces life in prison or the death penalty, the statement said.

Mecklenburg County prosecutors have separately charged Brown with first degree murder.

Local Democratic leaders came under fire for highlighting Brown’s history of mental health issues in their response to the slaying.

Zarutska, 23, left Ukraine in 2022 following Russia’s invasion, and “her blood is on the hands of the Democrats”, Trump wrote on social media.

Chilling security footage that went viral shows a man boarding the tramway, sitting behind her, and minutes later stabbing her three times - with no prior interaction.

The case has been seized upon by Trump administration officials, who accuse Democrats of being lenient on crime.

Criminal cases are typically the jurisdiction of local prosecutors in the US, based on state and local criminal codes. Federal prosecutions are typically limited to crimes committed against federal law.

Brown has “a long history” of mental health issues, according to his lawyer in a previous case, the Raleigh News & Observer newspaper reported.