Liberal media and politicians have been accused of staying silent on the savage murder of a young Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train — after a career criminal with no less than 14 arrests was charged with her murder.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death on a light rail train in Charlotte, with horrifying surveillance footage showing the moment the unsuspecting young woman was brutally attacked.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, is allegedly shown pulling out a pocket knife and getting out of his seat behind Zarutska before the video cuts just as he prepares to plunge the blade into her, footage shared by police shows.
Zarutska is totally unaware of the killer behind her, fiddling with her phone as Brown allegedly unfolds the knife and prepares to attack.
After the killing, the attacker can be seen wandering through the Lynx Blue Line train — spattering blood across the floor as he carries the weapon.
Bystanders barely seem to notice that a young woman has just been hacked to death right behind them.
The suspect takes off his bloody hoodie and then calmly waits for the train to pull into the station before exiting the train.
But in the wake of the monstrous killing, which took place on Aug. 22, mainstream outlets and politicians have largely stayed silent.
Charlotte’s Dem mayor even thanked publications that chose to keep the video from the public.
“The video of the heartbreaking attack that took Iryna Zarutska’s life is now public. I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage out of respect for Iryna’s family,” wrote Mayor Vi Lyles in a post on X on Saturday.
But her statement drew outrage from many, including Republican Congressmen in the Tarheel State.
“The Mayor’s refusal to condemn senseless, horrific, and preventable violence is as telling as it is despicable. Violent criminals, regardless of who they are or what they look like, need to be in jail,” wrote Rep. Brad Knott (R-NC) in response to Lyles’ post.
Lyles’ office did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
Others pointed to a broader nationwide issue of soft-touch responses to career criminals.
“The violence in Charlotte is a microcosm of a national epidemic. Americans deserve better than Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies,” wrote Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) in a post on X.
Charlotte City Council candidate Edwin B Peacock posted a video of his nighttime ride on board a light rail train in Charlotte as he called for a crackdown on public transit crime.
“A week ago, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was brutally killed on Charlotte’s light rail. Her death is a tragedy we cannot ignore. Who’s riding without paying? Are they the ones causing problems? We need answers,” he wrote in an X post accompanying the video.
The former Mayor of Matthews, NC — a suburb of Charlotte — responded, also calling out safety concerns on the city’s public. transit.
“I’m deeply disappointed in what’s been happening & the loss of focus on making the light rail welcoming & safe to travelers. It’s only going to get worse until the current MTC (Metropolitan Transit Commission) & quite frankly, the City of Charlotte get serious addressing the root cause,” wrote Jim Taylor in response to Peacock’s original post.
Former DOGE secretary Elon Musk called out what he said was a lack of coverage of the killing by mainstream media, resharing a post counting how many articles the outlets had written about the stabbing, along with the comment, “Zero.”
The alleged murder of a white woman by a black man also drew many responses from the far right.
At the same time, those who knew Iryna have spoken of their horror that a young woman who escaped the war in her country in 2022 could have met such a sickening end in the US.
Iryna was still wearing her work uniform from Zepeddie’s Pizza, a Charlotte restaurant, when she was attacked. The pizzeria paid an emotional tribute to her in the wake of her death.
“Recently our Zepeddie’s family suffered a tremendous loss. We lost not only an incredible employee, but a true friend. Our dear Iryna left this world far too soon, and our hearts are heavy with grief,” the restaurant wrote in a statement on Instagram.
“Since her passing, we have kept a candle burning in her memory—a small reminder of the warmth, kindness, and light she brought into our lives every single day.”
Brown, who is homeless, has more than a dozen convictions dating back to 2014, court records seen by The Post show.
He served five years for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September 2020, before being arrested just five months later for assaulting his sister at her home in Charlotte.
Despite his lengthy rap sheet, Brown was free on the streets when he allegedly carried out the murder.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
