Newly Surfaced Video Shows Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska’s Alleged Killer Walk Away from Train After Fatal Stabbing By Charlotte Phillipp

Newly surfaced footage taken just moments after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed aboard a light rail train in North Carolina shows her alleged killer slowly walking away from the crime scene.

In the surveillance footage — obtained by the New York Post and published on Saturday, Oct. 18 — Decarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of murdering 23-year-old Zarutska, could be seen wandering around a train platform in Charlotte on Aug. 22, as bystanders exit a Lynx Blue Line train car while calling for help.

Brown, 34, could be seen holding a red hoodie, which the suspect appeared to be wearing during the alleged stabbing, in the footage.

An additional video previously obtained by the outlet shows Brown crossing the street to stand on another platform, seemingly smoking a cigarette and talking to himself. Soon after, four police officers can be seen running up to him and tackling him to the ground before handcuffing him and searching his belongings.

Zarutska was riding a Charlotte Area Transit System light rail train just before 10 p.m. local time on Aug. 22, when she was stabbed to death. Previously released video of the incident shows a passenger seated behind the victim stand up and stab her.

According to an affidavit obtained by ABC News, Zarutska was sitting in an aisle seat directly in front of her attacker when “the suspect pulls a knife out of his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times.”

Related Stories

Ukrainian Refugee Stabbed on N.C. Train Had Survived Bombings in Kyiv Before Coming to U.S.

Ukrainian Refugee Sitting on N.C. Train Is Fatally Stabbed in Unprovoked Attack, ‘Appalled’ Gov. Reacts to Horrific Video

“Blood visibly drips on the floor as the defendant walks away from the victim. The victim goes unresponsive shortly after the attack,” the affidavit states, per CNN, adding that before the incident, there “appears to be no interaction between the victim and defendant.”

Brown was charged with first-degree murder by federal prosecutors in connection with the attack on Aug. 28, per WBTV.

On Sept. 9, the Justice Department announced in a statement that he would face a federal charge of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. Brown could face the maximum sentence of the death penalty. 

According to CNN, Brown was previously convicted, in a separate incident, of armed robbery, felony larceny and breaking and entering. His mother told the outlet that he was experiencing homelessness and mental health issues.

According to her obituary, Zarutska, an artist from Kyiv, emigrated to the U.S. with her mother, sister and brother “to escape the war, and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States.”

“She dreamed of pursuing a career as a Veterinary Assistant while also working toward her independence by learning to drive,” the obituary reads.

A statement from family attorney Lauren O. Newton said Zarutska was working at a pizza parlor at the time of her death and had been taking community college courses to improve her English.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.          

“She was a kind and hardworking young woman, deeply loved by her family and friends,” the statement said. “That night, she texted her boyfriend that she would be home soon. Tragically, her journey ended in violence near the Camden light rail station.”

After video of the stabbing was released by authorities, it became the subject of a political firestorm on issues involving crime in cities and criminal justice policy. Zarutska’s family has requested that media outlets stop circulating the shocking video.

“This brutal attack on an innocent woman simply trying to get to her destination is an attack on the American way of life,” said U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson. “Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most — Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family.”