Kash Patel, Sean Duffy launch investigations into brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte train

FBI Director Kash Patel and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have said that the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on the light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina is under federal investigation. Duffy also indicated that the implications of the case could reach far past North Carolina. The suspect in the case, 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, has been charged with first-degree murder.  

Patel posted to X, "The FBI has been investigating the Charlotte train murder from day one. Stay tuned."

Duffy also posted to the platform, indicating that if mayors cannot keep public transportation safe, they will not get federal funding. "I stand firm with President Trump’s message of zero tolerance for criminality, especially on our federal DOT funded public transportation. If mayors can’t keep their trains and buses safe, they don’t deserve the taxpayers’ money," Duffy wrote.

"[The US Department of Transportation] will be investigating Charlotte over its failure to protect Iryna Zarutska. And we will also be looking at other crime ridden cities across the country. I was moved by a Charlotte resident who said today: “I don’t feel safe on public transportation. But, I have to work.” No American should be put in that position, and the Trump administration will do everything in its power to change that," he added.

The stabbing took place in August after Zarutska boarded the light rail in Charlotte. She sat down in front of a black male, later identified as 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown. He had been freed on cashless bail by a magistrate with only a "written promise" that he would show back up in court. He was previously arrested 14 times and had a history of violence and mental illness.

In footage, the man behind the Ukrainian refugee unfolded a pocketknife, stood up, and stabbed the woman from behind three times in the area of her neck. She was later pronounced dead at the scene after the suspect walked the rail car, blood dripping from his hand with the knife. Brown was later arrested by police and has been charged with first-degree murder.

Duffy, later appearing on Fox News' Hannity, said that DOT may start pulling funds from local governments if they fail to keep public transportation safe.