Flower Mound-based state and federal officials reacted to the shocking murder of a young Ukrainian refugee that occurred last month on a Charlotte, NC commuter train.
Iryna Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death by repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, in a horrifying, caught-on-camera killing, which has left her family calling for a solution to systemic failures in the city’s public safety.
The deranged homeless man was free on cashless bail after a magistrate released him with just a “written promise” to show up for court — despite a nearly two-decade history of violence and mental illness.
Brown was charged Tuesday with a federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. He also faces a state charge of first-degree murder.
“America has an under-incarceration problem. We don’t have to live like this,” Congressman Brandon Gill (R-Flower Mound) posted on X.
Iryna Zarutska’s life mattered.
A 23-year old Ukrainian refugee seeking safety from war was brutally murdered by someone who should never have been free. Her killer had been arrested 14 times, yet was released again and again until tragedy struck.
This was preventable. A… pic.twitter.com/tmSMe6QwnU
— Senator Tan Parker (@TanParkerTX) September 10, 2025
