An online fundraiser seeking to raise money for the legal defense of a man charged with fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light-rail train provoked widespread outrage and was removed by GoFundMe, the company said.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, has been charged with first-degree murder in the August 22 killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a South End Blue Line light rail car, Charlotte police said. Video released by authorities shows a man following the woman to a seat, drawing what appeared to be a blade and then attacking her. The attack left a trail of blood through the train, and Zarutska died at the scene.
The GoFundMe page for Brown described him as having been "failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina" and said it was raising money for his legal defense and to obtain aid to avoid punitive sentencing. The page was removed after public backlash.
A GoFundMe spokesperson told the Daily Mail that the platform's terms of service "explicitly prohibits fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime." The spokesperson said the fundraiser had been removed and donors were fully refunded.
A separate fundraiser launched by Zarutska's family remained active and had raised more than $60,000 by Sunday evening. The family's GoFundMe says Zarutska arrived in the United States in 2022 "seeking safety from the war" in Ukraine and was "hoping for a new beginning" before her death. The page says the campaign was created to support her loved ones and help cover unexpected expenses.
Brown's arrest records show a long history of arrests and convictions, according to a review of public records. Court records obtained by the Daily Mail and reporting by local outlets show Brown served five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September 2020. Since then, he has been arrested multiple times on charges including assault, trespassing, disorderly conduct and misuse of emergency services. In January, he was arrested on a charge of misusing 911 after telling police he believed someone had given him a "man-made" material that controlled his actions.
Some charges dating back to 2007 were dropped or not prosecuted, local reporting said. The Mecklenburg County district attorney's office declined to comment on the specifics of the case, saying it cannot speak about defendants with pending cases. In broader remarks reported by Axios, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather noted complexities in addressing cases involving mental health and public safety and said the community is only at "the very beginning of a conversation" on those issues.
City officials and residents voiced alarm after details of the killing emerged. Councilman Edwin Peacock said the incident had damaged public confidence in light-rail safety between South End and Uptown and called for answers for Zarutska's family and the community. "Right now, the trust and confidence that we have right now ... it's very fragile," he said.
Police released the surveillance video as they investigated the killing and arrested Brown. Authorities have charged him with first-degree murder; prosecutors will determine whether to seek additional charges as the investigation continues. The Mecklenburg County district attorney's office said generally that those who commit violent crimes should be held in custody pending trial.
The case has intensified debate in Charlotte about public-safety measures, judicial decisions that leave defendants free pending trial, and the treatment of people with mental health challenges. Local leaders and residents said they want clearer explanations of how an individual with a lengthy criminal history and recent arrests came to be out on the street.
As legal proceedings move forward, the family's fundraiser is expected to help cover funeral and related expenses while community members and officials press for answers about security on public transit and how officials handle repeat offenders and defendants with mental health needs.