Uncle of Charlotte stabbing victim speaks out

(CHARLOTTE, N.C.) — The uncle of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman who was fatally stabbed while riding the Charlotte light rail late last month, spoke out after his niece’s death, saying on Friday that she “didn’t deserve” to be killed.

“Iryna was…she was the glue of the family,” the uncle, who requested to not be named, told “Good Morning America.”

Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22 just before 10 p.m. while riding the Blue Lynx Line in Charlotte, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.

The recent release of the attack on video has caused national outrage, with President Donald Trump demanding the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, be “awarded THE DEATH PENALTY” in a social media post on Wednesday.

The victim’s uncle, who described his niece as a “comforter” and “confidant,” said Zarutska fled Ukraine and arrived in the United States in 2022, where she was living with her uncle, aunt, mother and siblings before moving in with her boyfriend in May, he said. Officials said Zarutska had lived in a bomb shelter before arriving in the U.S.

He said that Zarutska immediately wanted to go to work once arriving in the United States. After receiving the proper papers, she worked at a sandwich shop and an assisted living home with her mother, according to her uncle.

Zarutska, who was working at a local pizzeria at the time of her death, had a “strong desire to have a better life” and was planning on going to school to become a veterinary assistant, according to her uncle. She was also taking English classes at a community college, he noted.

But her aspirations were “taken from us” on the night of Aug. 22, her uncle said.

That night, Zarutska had just finished work and had “texted her boyfriend that she would be home soon,” according to a statement from her family’s attorney.

She boarded the train and sat in an aisle seat in front of the suspect, who is seen wearing an orange sweatshirt, the affidavit noted.

The train travels for “approximately four and a half minutes before the suspect pulls a knife out of his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times,” the affidavit said.

“If you watch the video, you can see, she just came on and she took the first seat that was available to her. It would appear she didn’t recognize there was any danger,” her uncle told “Good Morning America.”

Zarutska’s family viewed the footage of her death at the same time as the public, according to her uncle.

“I watched the video — it was just terrible, just absolutely terrible. She didn’t deserve that and nobody does. It’s been very tough on the family,” her uncle said.

Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene and a witness directed officials to the location of the suspect, the affidavit said.

The victim’s loved ones “became alarmed” when Zarutska did not arrive at her apartment “at the anticipated time,” with her phone’s location showing she was still at the train station, the family’s attorney said in a statement.

“Upon arriving at the station, they were devastated to learn that Iryna had died at the scene,” the family’s attorney said.

Her uncle, who was out of town when his niece was killed, was told by his wife to “come home right now” when the family was alerted of Zarutska’s death, he noted.

He said in the last text message he received from Zarutska, she was “expressing gratitude and how happy she was here in the United States.”

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) confirmed to ABC News there was no security on board the train at the time of the attack, with a spokesperson saying a security team “patrols the system, they are not stationed in one area.”

In the aftermath of Zarutska’s death, her uncle said that “things need to change.”

“Our country has to change on how we deal with these situations, and that requires our leadership to take action, and I need for them to take actions,” he said.

Brown, who was arrested for Zarutska’s murder the same night she was killed, was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina with committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, which could make him eligible for the death penalty, the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

The suspect has a criminal record including larceny and breaking and entering charges. He also spent five years in prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon starting in 2015, according to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction.

In total, Brown has been charged 14 times in the past, including an arrest in January, but was “still on the streets” leading up to the attack, North Carolina FBI Special Agent James Barnacle Jr. said on Tuesday.

Brown’s mother and sister said he struggled with mental illness for years after being released from prison and that he claimed there was a “material” in his body that controlled him. His mother, Michelle Dewitt, told ABC News on Wednesday her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been given medication, but she said he refused to take it.

Brown’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 19, according to court records. It is unclear whether Brown has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

Despite the Ukrainian Embassy reaching out to Zarutska’s family, her uncle said she was buried in the United States, with her father — who is still in Kyiv — watching over FaceTime, who is “heartbroken” after his daughter’s death.

Once the news of her death circulated, Zarutska’s uncle said he remembers the outreach from the community, calling it “unbelievable.” When she was alive, he said Zarutska would paint murals in people’s homes and take care of their dogs and children, but he didn’t realize how she “touched a lot of people in a very short period of time.”

“I’ve lost family members in my life, of course, but just the outpouring of support from my neighbors, it was just remarkable,” her uncle said.