On Aug. 22, Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was stabbed to death by Decarlos Brown Jr. — with no apparent warning or provocation — while riding a light-rail commuter train in Charlotte, N.C. Since video of the attack emerged Friday, Zarutska’s death has become the latest flashpoint in a national debate over whether cities are adequately addressing violent crime, mental illness and transit safety.“North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!,” President Trump said Monday on Truth Social, describing Brown as a “career criminal.”At the same time, Brown’s family has highlighted his history of hallucinations, paranoia and schizophrenia, speculating that he may have attacked Zarutska because he thought she was reading his mind.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break,” Brown’s mother told CNN. “And I think that night he broke.”Here’s everything you need to know about the case — and the reaction to it.What happened on the trainCCTV footage shows that Zarutska boarded a Lynx Blue Line train late Saturday night at the Scaleybark station, a few miles outside downtown Charlotte in the city’s lively South End neighborhood. Her blonde hair was tucked under a cap from Zeppedie’s Pizzeria, the nearby restaurant where she worked. She was also wearing a black Zeppedie’s T-shirt. She sat in an empty row and started to scroll on her phone, earbuds in.Brown, 34, was sitting behind her.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFour minutes later, a fidgety Brown pulled what appeared to be a pocketknife from the pocket of his red hoodie and paused briefly to rest his head on his hand, before suddenly springing to his feet and swinging his arm over Zarutska’s seat.Brown reportedly stabbed Zarutska three times, including at least once in the neck. He walked past Zarutska as she covered her face with her hands. Moments later, she slouched to the ground.Zarutska died on the train from her injuries as passengers kneeled over her, trying to help. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department has charged Brown with first-degree murder in her killing.The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) confirmed earlier this week that there was no security present in the car where the attack occurred and that Brown did not have a ticket to ride the train.What we know about ZarutskaZarutska was born on May 22, 2002, in Kyiv, Ukraine. She earned a degree in art and restoration from Kyiv’s Synergy College. Zarutska fled Ukraine with her mother, sister and brother six months after Russia’s 2022 invasion; a family friend told WCNC that she could no longer endure not knowing “if you’re going to live or breathe another day.” Zarutska eventually settled in Charlotte, where she attended Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and hoped to become a veterinary assistant.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to Zarutska’s obituary, she “loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing”; was “a homebody at heart, happiest when surrounded by family and loved ones”; and had the ability to “sleep for wonderfully long stretches — something [her mother] affectionately called an ‘artist’s gift.’”On Tuesday, Zarutska’s family released a statement saying they are “committed to making sure this never happens again” through “systemic change.”“Iryna came here to find peace and safety, and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way,” the statement reads. “The family is demanding a full investigation into the circumstances leading up to Iryna's death, including lapses in security protocols and failures within the public transportation system.”What we know about BrownBrown had previously been arrested 14 times and convicted of larceny, breaking and entering and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He spent more than five years in prison on the robbery charge.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to his sister, he “didn’t seem like himself” after his release in 2020.“He started saying weird things,” Brown’s mother told WSOC in Charlotte. “He started saying that he wasn’t in his body.”Suddenly, Brown was struggling to conduct simple conversations, his sister told CNN. He couldn’t keep a job. And sometimes he would become aggressive — even going so far, in 2022, as to bite her and break the hinges off a door. Brown’s sister decided not to file charges because she “knew he was battling something.”Instead, Brown’s family tried to get him help for his mental health issues — but their attempts failed. Brown’s mother told WSOC that after her son became aggressive, she got an involuntary commitment order from the courts. Brown was monitored for two weeks and diagnosed with schizophrenia. But she was unable to place him in a long-term facility because she is not his legal guardian. Soon he had become so violent and erratic that she was left with no other choice but to kick him out of her home.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn January, Brown asked Charlotte police to investigate a “man-made” material that controlled when he ate, walked and talked, according to court documents. The officers told Brown the issue was “medical,” insisting there was nothing more they could do. Upset, he called 911 from a local health center.Police then charged Brown with misuse of 911, a class 1 misdemeanor.He was released after promising, in writing, that he would appear for his next hearing, according to court records. But in July, Brown’s public defender made a motion questioning Brown’s capacity to contribute to his own defense. The judge ordered a psychological evaluation.Meanwhile, Brown was living on the streets. Days before the stabbing, he showed up at his mother’s house, according to CNN. He asked to stay the night. The next morning, Brown’s mother dropped him off at a shelter a few miles from the Scaleybark station. She hugged him and told him she loved him, then headed to church.A frame from security footage shows Iryna Zarutska, front right, and Decarlos Brown, Jr., standing. (Charlotte Transit System)In a recording of an Aug. 28 phone call between Brown and his sister shared with the Daily Mail, Brown can be heard telling his sister it was “the material in his body” that had killed Zarutska.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I hurt my hand, stabbing her. I don’t even know the lady. I never said not one word to the lady at all. That’s scary, ain’t it. Why would somebody stab somebody for no reason?” Brown reportedly says on the call.“Out of all people, why her?” his sister responds. “She’s from the Ukraine, she’s from Russia, and they had a war going on against the United States, so I’m just trying to understand, of all people, why her?”“They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened,” Brown says. “Whoever was working the materials, they lashed out on her. That’s all there is to it. Now they really gotta investigate what my body was exposed to. … Now they gotta do an investigation as to [who] was the motive behind what happened.”Brown’s sister told the Daily Mail that her brother was high risk and should not have been free to ride the train that night.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He was not in his right mind,” she said. “He was not safe for society. We know what he has been dealing with the last three years. And now an innocent woman is dead.”What’s nextEarlier this week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina charged Brown with causing death on a mass transportation system, which carries up to life in prison or the death penalty. Authorities said additional charges could be brought as the investigation continues.The federal case will run parallel with the state case charging Brown with first-degree murder.“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," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "There can be no other option!!!"AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute Decarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man."As thousands of National Guard troops patrol the streets of Washington, D.C., over the objections of local officials and residents, Trump and his allies have been citing Zarutska’s killing to justify further federal crackdowns on crime — particularly in cities run by Democrats.Speaking on Fox News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy agreed with Trump that “evil people” are to blame for violent crime — but added that “it’s also evil politicians.”“This monster had a track record longer than a CVS receipt, including prison time for robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, and larceny,” Duffy wrote on X on Sunday. “By failing to properly punish him, Charlotte failed Iryna Zarutska and North Carolinians.”In their statement Tuesday, Zarutska’s family said their “immediate priority is to ensure the man responsible for Iryna's murder is brought to justice and remains behind bars.” But they also called attention to “systemic failure” on the local level, including “a lack of visible or effective security presence on the CATS Blue Line.”