Trump demands death penalty for suspect in Ukrainian refugee’s stabbing death

The man accused of fatally attacking Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska should have a quick trial, with the only outcome being the death penalty, according to a Wednesday morning statement from President Donald Trump. His comments came the day after the Department of Justice levied federal charges against suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. for committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

Footage from the Charlotte, N.C., light rail system appeared to show Brown pull out a knife and stab Zarutska several times. The woman boarded the rail car and sat in the row in front of Brown for less than five minutes before the attack occurred, the DOJ said. Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream and her murder is the direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in the Tuesday release. Bondi instructed prosecutors to seek the maximum penalty for Brown as a repeated offender with a history of violent crime.

The FBI is joining the investigation to ensure Brown is never again set free, FBI Director Kash Patel added. State records showed Brown has been arrested several times, and spent about five years in prison after a 2015 felony conviction of robbery with a deadly weapon. The suspect was most recently arrested in January for allegedly misusing the 911 system and was released on a written promise to appear in court.

Gov. Josh Stein released a statement mourning Zarutska on Monday, over two weeks after her death. More police are needed to keep people safe, he insisted. The governor called on state legislators to approve more funding towards police recruitment and training to fill vacancies in state and local agencies.

When’s his next scheduled court appearance? No appearances have been scheduled in Brown’s federal case. Brown is next scheduled to appear on Sept. 19 for a hearing on murder charges brought by state prosecutors. Judge Roy Wiggins denied Brown bond and committed the suspect to a local mental hospital for a competency evaluation, according to Mecklenburg District Court records.

Dig deeper: Read Joe Rigney’s opinion piece linking recent violent attacks, including the Charlotte murder, to the nation’s lack of spirituality.