A GoFundMe campaign that sought to raise money for the legal defense of a man charged with fatally stabbing a Ukrainian woman aboard a Charlotte light rail train has been removed after a public outcry, while a separate fundraiser for the victim’s family has collected tens of thousands of dollars.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, is facing first-degree murder charges in the Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the South End light rail line. Surveillance video released by authorities and reviewed by news outlets showed the suspect watching the woman after she sat in front of him, drawing what appeared to be a knife and repeatedly striking her as she sat using her phone. Brown then walked through the train leaving a trail of blood, footage shows, as other passengers appeared not to realize what had occurred.
The online fundraiser for Brown portrayed him as a victim of failures in the judicial and mental health systems and said it sought funds to pay legal fees and obtain needed aid. The campaign drew swift condemnation on social media, with some users calling the effort “psychotic” and others questioning the idea of seeking leniency for an alleged brutal killing. GoFundMe removed the page, saying in a statement that its terms of service “explicitly prohibits fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime,” and that donors had been fully refunded.
A separate GoFundMe started by Zarutska’s family described her as a Ukrainian who had arrived in the United States in 2022 seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. That page said it was created to support Zarutska’s loved ones and to help with unexpected expenses; it had raised more than $60,000 as of Sunday evening.
Brown’s criminal history documented in public records shows repeated arrests stretching back to 2007, when he was a minor. He served about five years in prison for a 2014 armed robbery and was released in September 2020, after which the records reviewed by the Daily Mail say he faced additional arrest records, including charges of assault in February 2021, injury to personal property and trespassing that same month, and a disorderly conduct arrest in July 2022. Court filings and local reporting indicate many charges over the years were dropped.
Authorities have said Brown was out on bail and awaiting trial on a charge of misusing 911 at the time of the alleged killing. A police report cited by media said that in the earlier incident he told officers he believed someone had given him a “man-made” material that controlled his actions.
When reached for comment, the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office said it cannot speak about defendants with pending cases but reiterated in broad terms that those who commit violent crimes should be held in custody pending trial. During public comments reported elsewhere, District Attorney Spencer Merriweather acknowledged the complexities involved when mental health intersects with public safety, saying the community’s attention to the issue is important and that conversation on it is only beginning.
Local officials and residents expressed alarm over the incident and concern about safety on public transit. Charlotte City Councilman Edwin Peacock said the community’s trust in riding the light rail has been shaken and urged authorities to provide answers and restore riders’ confidence.
The killing has prompted renewed scrutiny of how the criminal justice and mental health systems handle repeat offenders. Advocates for victims’ families and some local leaders have called for clearer explanations of why Brown was free on bail and what steps authorities will take to prevent similar attacks. The district attorney’s office and transit authorities declined to provide detailed operational timelines while the case remains pending in court.
Brown remains in custody on the murder charge as the investigation and pretrial proceedings continue. The case has prompted debate online over who should be permitted to raise money on crowdfunding platforms and over how to balance concerns about mental health, public safety and the rights of defendants as the criminal justice system processes the allegations.