
A murder aboard a train in North Carolina has caught the attention of many on social media, who in turn noted the lack of coverage in corporate mainstream media outlets. What’s especially catching the attention of people around the world is how senseless, callous, and preventable the murder was.
The murder was caught on camera, and was afterward shared online.

The suspect of the crime, Decarlos Brown Jr., had previously been arrested 14 times. That wasn’t a typo, prior to the murder, he was arrested 14 times. Apparently, each time Decarlos proved he was a dangerous miscreant, with charges such as felony larceny, assault, and robbery with a dangerous weapon, it was decided that he would be released back into the public, where he would have an opportunity to offend again, a total of 14 times.
And if he were released a 15th time, it wouldn’t surprise me.
The video of the incident is below. Though the completion of the murder is omitted, the following footage is disturbing.
Iryna Zarutska had previously fled the country of Ukraine, which was at war with the country of Russia. One might think she would have been safe in the city of Charlotte, in the American state of North Carolina. However, this would prove to not be the case.
Prior to Iryna’s boarding of the train, Decarlos is seen appearing visibly distraught. When Iryna boarded, she took a seat in front of Decarlos. Decarlos took note of this, and after a pause, produced a pocket knife, which he then unfolded with careful deliberation. After another moment, he stood up and carried out his savage attack on Iryna, who did not see it coming.
There was absolutely no indication that Iryna had done anything to provoke the attack. It seemed completely senseless.
After completing the attack, Decarlos then calmly proceeded down the cabin, still holding the knife in his hand. As he did so, blood dripped from the knife, leaving drops on the floor.
As he did so, some of the other passengers appeared to take note that something was amiss. The victim, having just been slain, had caught their attention, and they took note of the blood on the floor.
On the other end of the cabin, Decarlos calmly removed his hoodie, and wrapped it around his hand which was still carrying the knife, perhaps an attempt to conceal his part in the crime he had just committed. He departed the train at a stop.
The passengers in the video have faced some criticism for appearing to be either calm or indecisive in the video above. In my opinion, they cannot be faulted for their response. For one thing, there is a phenomenon called normalcy bias, where people in unusual situations maintain a tendency to continue to behave as though the situation were mundane, even if briefly, because for a moment they find it difficult to accept that there may be an unusual situation. Another reason may be indecision, or even panicking. Even if a person drills what they would do in an emergency, when an emergency occurs, it might occur in a manner different than how one might imagine, and thus, they might panic, or become indecisive.
In reality, it’s not realistic to expect ordinary people to behave like protagonists in action movies.
People all over the world have attempted to make sense of the murder. It seems a prevalent theory is that Decarlos had a mental illness, and that his violent act can be likened to “the bad voices winning.” Others point to his extensive criminal record, and say that his violent outburst was the inevitable outcome of allowing a person with a history of violence to roam free. Of course, both theories can be true.
Whatever the reason for it, it’s clear that Decarlos Brown Jr. is guilty of the crime we have video evidence of. But he is not the only one with guilt.
There are professions in which negligence should be considered criminal. To be fair, in most cases, it’s not a big deal. For example, if you order your meal at Wendy’s as dine-in, then get your meal in a bag, it’s not a big deal. However, if a doctor preps a patient for heart surgery, then the patient wakes up without an arm because they were mixed up with another patient, the negligence involved should be considered criminal.
So it is with those in criminal justice who continually release violent offenders who repeatedly commit recidivist offenses. They have failed the public, whose safety was in their hands. They must be held accountable.
I’ve noticed that many people have suggested creative punishments for Decarlos Brown Jr. As I see it, upon finding him guilty (which should be inevitable considering the preponderance of evidence against him), he should be put to death. His execution should be public, and carried out without delay.


















