Outrage over fundraiser for Charlotte light rail murder suspect, GoFundMe removes page

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA: An online fundraiser for a career criminal accused of butchering a young Ukrainian woman on a train in North Carolina sparked outrage on social media.

Decarlos Brown Jr, 35, is facing first-degree murder charges after allegedly stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska to death on a South End light rail train in Charlotte on August 22.

Surveillance video captured the tragedy. Brown eyed Zarutska after she sat down in front of him, pulled what looked like a blade from his pocket, then stood up and slashed at her as she quietly sat scrolling on her phone.

He then walked through the train dripping blood while fellow passengers appeared clueless to the horror that had just unfolded. 

Decarlos Brown’s criminal record dates back to 2007

A Daily Mail deep-dive into Brown’s rap sheet found that, at the time of the alleged stabbing, he was already out on bail awaiting trial for misusing 911 after telling police someone had given him a “man-made” substance that controlled his actions.

His record includes armed robbery (served five years, released September 2020), assaulting his own sister in February 2021 (she was left with minor injuries), trespassing and damaging a victim’s front door that same month, and a domestic disturbance arrest in July 2022 after police said he was “yelling and cursing, causing a disturbance and drawing the attention of multiple tenants.”

What’s more, his arrests stretch back to 2007, when he was still a minor.

Outrage erupts over GoFundMe for Decarlos Brown Jr

Despite the gravity of his crime, someone thought Brown deserved a defense fund. A now-removed GoFundMe argued he was the real victim.

“While what happened on the Blue Line was a tragedy, what we mustn’t lose sight of is the fact that Decarlos Brown Jr was failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina, and as such is not entirely to blame for what happened,” the campaign read.

The page claimed it was collecting money not only for Brown’s legal defense “and to also get him the aid he needs,” with hopes he would “avoid punitive sentencing.” That spin had people fuming online.

The LibsofTikTok X account blasted it as “psychotic.” "There is a @gofundme for Decarlos Brown. You can’t make this up. He murdered in cold blood, and yet his supporters want you to think he was 'failed' by the system," one critic raged.

"That money will go directly to the legal fees of the new Mercedes AMG GT his mama desperately needs in order to fight racism or something," another offered.

'"Punitive sentencing?" Um yeah, I think it's gonna be really, really punitive," someone else sneered.

"Man slaughters innocent woman in unprovoked attack, and people feel sorry for HIM? Utterly grotesque," another chimed in.

GoFundMe eventually confirmed to the Daily Mail that the fundraiser violated its rules.

“Terms of Service explicitly prohibits fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime. Consistent with this longstanding policy, this fundraiser has been removed from the platform, and the donors who contributed to the fundraiser have been fully refunded," the website said in a statement.

Iryna Zarutska’s family seeks justice

Meanwhile, Zarutska’s devastated family is relying on their own GoFundMe for support. The 23-year-old had fled Ukraine in 2022, “seeking safety from the war” and “hoping for a new beginning” in the US before her life was brutally cut short.

Her family described her death as “an irreparable loss” and launched a fundraiser to “support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses.”

That campaign had already raised more than $75,000 as of September 7. 

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