The suspect has been charged federally with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump has called for the death penalty in the case of a woman who was fatally stabbed on a light rail train in North Carolina.
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!” he said in a Sept. 10 Truth Social post.
Iryna Zarutska, a refugee from Ukraine, was fatally stabbed on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 22.
Footage of the incident, released last week, shows Zarutska wearing a baseball cap and sitting on the train in front of a man as she scrolls on her phone.
The man then pulls out a knife and stabs her from behind. The two did not appear to have interacted beforehand.
The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, had served time in prison, been briefly committed for schizophrenia, and was arrested earlier this year after repeatedly calling 911 from a hospital, according to court records.
Brown was arrested at the scene and charged with first-degree murder, officials said in a statement in August.
He has also been charged federally with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. That charge can lead to the death penalty. The federal case will run parallel with the state case.
Trump’s post was not the first time he has spoken out about the murder.
“When you have horrible killings, you have to take horrible actions,” the president said on Sept. 8.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a Sept. 9 statement that Zarutska was a young woman who had been “living the American dream.”
