Uncle of Charlotte stabbing victim speaks out

Following the death of his niece, Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman who was fatally stabbed while riding the Charlotte light rail late last month, her uncle spoke out on Friday, stating that his niece “didn’t deserve” to be killed.

Iryna was. The uncle, who asked not to be identified, said, “Good Morning America,” “Dot she was the glue of the family.”. “..”.

In August, Zarutska, age 23, was fatally stabbed. 22 minutes prior to 10 p.m. A. according to an affidavit that ABC News was able to obtain, while traveling in Charlotte on the Blue Lynx Line.

In a social media post on Wednesday, President Donald Trump demanded that the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, be “awarded THE DEATH PENALTY” in response to the uproar caused by the recent release of the attack on video.

According to the victim’s uncle, who called his niece a “comforter” and “confidant,” Zarutska fled Ukraine and came to the US in 2022, where she lived with her mother, siblings, uncle, and aunt before moving in with her boyfriend in May. According to officials, Zarutska resided in a bomb shelter prior to coming to the United States. S.

When Zarutska arrived in the United States, he said, she wanted to start working right away. According to her uncle, she worked alongside her mother at an assisted living facility and a sandwich shop after obtaining the required documentation.

According to her uncle, Zarutska had a “strong desire to have a better life” and intended to pursue a career as a veterinary assistant while working at a nearby pizzeria at the time of her passing. He pointed out that she was enrolled in a community college’s English program as well.

On August night, however, her dreams were “taken from us.”. According to her uncle, 22.

According to a statement from her family’s lawyer, Zarutska had just left work that evening and “textted her boyfriend that she would be home soon.”.

According to the affidavit, she boarded the train and took a seat in the aisle in front of the suspect, who was seen sporting an orange sweatshirt.

“Approximately four and a half minutes before the suspect pulls a knife out of his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up and strikes at the victim three times,” the affidavit stated, the train passes.

“As you can see in the video, she simply entered and sat down in the first seat that was offered to her. “Good Morning America,” her uncle said, “seems to have failed to recognize the danger.”. “,”.

Zarutska’s uncle claims that her family watched the video of her death simultaneously with the general public.

“I saw the video, and it was just awful—it was really awful. Neither she nor anyone else deserved that. “The family has had a very difficult time,” her uncle said.

The affidavit stated that Zarutska was declared dead at the scene and that a witness led authorities to the suspect’s location.

Zarutska’s phone location indicated she was still at the train station, and her loved ones “became alarmed” when she failed to arrive at her apartment “at the anticipated time,” according to a statement from the victim’s family’s lawyer.

When the family’s lawyer arrived at the station, “they were devastated to learn that Iryna had died at the scene,” he said.

He said that when the family learned of Zarutska’s death, her uncle, who was out of town when his niece was killed, was instructed by his wife to “come home right now.”.

According to him, Zarutska was “expressing gratitude and how happy she was here in the United States” in her most recent text message. “.

A spokesperson for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) told ABC News that a security team “patrols the system, they are not stationed in one area,” confirming that there was no security on board the train at the time of the attack. “..”.

Her uncle stated that “things need to change” following Zarutska’s passing. “.

“Our nation must change the way we handle these situations, and that calls for our leadership to act, and I need them to act,” he stated.

The U.S. charged Brown with Zarutska’s murder after he was arrested the same night she was killed. S. accused Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina of carrying out an act that caused death on a public transit system, potentially rendering him subject to the death penalty, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.

The suspect’s criminal history includes charges of breaking and entering as well as larceny. Additionally, he was imprisoned for five years beginning in 2015 for robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

According to North Carolina FBI Special Agent James Barnacle Jr., Brown had been charged 14 times in total, including being arrested in January, but he was “still on the streets” prior to the attack. declared on Tuesday.

According to his mother and sister, Brown claimed that a “material” in his body controlled him and that he battled mental illness for years after being released from prison. Michelle Dewitt, his mother, told ABC News on Wednesday that her son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been prescribed medication, but he had refused to take it.

The next time Brown will appear in court is in September. 19, based on court documents. Uncertainty surrounds whether Brown has a lawyer who can represent him.

Her uncle stated that Zarutska was buried in the United States, with her father, who is still in Kyiv, keeping watch over FaceTime, who is “heartbroken” over the loss of his daughter, even though the Ukrainian Embassy had contacted her family.

Zarutska’s uncle recalled the community’s outreach after word of her passing spread, calling it “unbelievable.”. He claimed he was unaware of how Zarutska “touched a lot of people in a very short period of time” while she was alive, even though she would take care of people’s dogs and kids and paint murals in their homes. “..”.

Her uncle said, “I’ve lost family members in my life, of course, but just the outpouring of support from my neighbors, it was just remarkable.”.