A man accused of killing a Ukrainian woman who moved to the US to flee the war in her home country has a lengthy criminal history that includes a previous assault on his sister, according to police records.
Decarlos Brown, 35, allegedly stabbed Iryna Zarutska, 23, to death at South End light rail station in Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday night.
He was arrested soon after and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Brown was then charged with first-degree murder on his release.
Zarutska had only recently arrived in the US ‘seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning’, her family said on a GoFundMe page.
Brown, meanwhile, is a career criminal who has spent most of his life in and out of prison, a Daily Mail review of police records found.
He was charged with misusing 911 as recently as January, when he told cops he believed someone had given him a ‘man-made’ material that controlled his actions.
Brown served five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September, 2020 – when he quickly resumed a life of crime.
Just months after his release from prison, on February, 2021, Brown was arrested for assaulting his sister in Charlotte and leaving her with minor injuries, according to police records obtained by the Daily Mail.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was found dead on Friday at South End light rail station in North Carolina. She had recently fled the war in her home country of Ukraine
Decarlos Brown has spent most of his life in and out of prison. Brown served five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September, 2020 – when he quickly resumed a life of crime
That same month, he was also arrested for injury to personal property and trespassing.
A police report from that incident said Brown ‘returned to the address after being told he was not allowed back and kicked and damaged the front door of the listed victim’s residence.’
In July 2022, Brown was then arrested again for a domestic disturbance.
‘[Brown] was arrested for disorderly conduct. The suspect was yelling and cursing, causing a disturbance and drawing the attention of multiple tenants while on the property the call for service was located,’ read the police report.
Brown’s arrest records go as back as 2007, when he was still a minor.
Over the next seven years, he was arrested at least six times for crimes including felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon and communicating threats.
According to the Charlotte Observer, most of the charges he faced during that time were dropped.
When reached for comment, the Mecklenburg District Attorney’s Office told the Daily Mail Tuesday it cannot speak about defendants with pending cases.
‘In broad terms, it remains the position of the District Attorney’s office that those who commit violent crimes should be held in custody pending trial,’ the DA’s said.
Decarlos Brown, 35, was charged with Friday’s stabbing murder. He has a lengthy criminal rap sheet
Zarutska’s decision to flee Ukraine came after Russia invaded Ukraine back in 2022
The victim had only recently moved to the US from Ukraine in an effort to escape the ongoing war with Russia
Brown’s latest alleged crime is his most serious.
The career criminal was arrested at the scene of Zarutska’s stabbing Friday night, according to officials.
Police have not said what led to the stabbing.
Local councilman Edwin Peacock demanded answers from authorities, noting the community no longer feels safe to ride public transport.
‘Right now, the trust and confidence that we have right now, and particularly between South End and Uptown, it’s very fragile right now,’ he said.
‘The story is heart-wrenching, and if, obviously what we’re hearing is true, clearly we need to give that family answers.
‘And we, more importantly, need to give all the citizens who are riding the light rail a lot of confidence that you’re going to be safe.’
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was found dead at 9.55pm on Friday at South End light rail station (pictured) in North Carolina
Zarutska’s family said her death was ‘an irreparable loss for her family’ on a GoFundMe page set up to support her aunt.
Zarutska had been ‘hoping for a new beginning’ when she moved to North Carolina, the family said.
‘We have created this fundraiser to support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses.’
Zarutska’s decision to flee Ukraine came after Russia invaded Ukraine back in 2022.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump said he had set in motion arrangements for direct peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
But Russian officials have signaled that such a summit won’t happen any time soon as it continues to bombard Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 104 strike and decoy drones on Sunday night, targeting the country’s north and east.
