Iryna Zarutska stabbing case: Trump calls killing of Ukrainian woman 'horrific'; condemns 'lunatic' behind the attack

US President Donald Trump on Monday condemned the killing of a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina, calling the suspect a "career criminal."

In a statement posted on the official White House account on X, Trump said he had watched the surveillance video of the August 22 attack, describing it as "horrific" and "not really watchable because it's so horrible."


"The perpetrator was a well-known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES," Trump wrote. "What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP."

The victim, identified as Iryna Zarutska, had fled the war in Ukraine and was working in Charlotte. Video released by the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows her boarding a Lynx Blue Line train shortly before 10 pm, dressed in a pizzeria uniform and scrolling on her phone. Moments later, a man in a red hoodie seated behind her pulled out a knife and stabbed her three times, including once in the neck. Zarutska died at the scene.

The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown, was arrested soon after the attack and charged with first-degree murder. Authorities said Brown had an extensive criminal record, including felony robbery, larceny, and breaking convictions dating back more than a decade.

Trump links case to broader crime debate

Speaking earlier in the day at Washington's Museum of the Bible, Trump said the Charlotte stabbing underscored the danger of lenient bail laws.

"We're all people of religion, but there are evil people," Trump told the audience. "If we don't handle that, we don't have a country."

He linked the case to his administration's earlier push against cashless bail policies, arguing that Brown's release showed "why reform has failed."

Community reeling, political tensions rising

Zarutska's killing has rattled Charlotte's Ukrainian community and fueled political debate nationwide. Trump cited other recent high-profile killings in his remarks, suggesting a broader pattern of "criminals set free at the expense of innocent lives."

For Zarutska's grieving family, Trump said his message was one of condolence: "I just give my love and hope to the family of the young woman who was stabbed … by a madman."