'There can be no other option!!!' US president says on social media
US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for the man suspected of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte, North Carolina light rail train to face the death penalty.
"The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a “Quick” (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY," Trump wrote on his social media platform. "There can be no other option!!!"
Surveillance video footage of the Aug. 22 fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska was released Monday as the case garnered national attention. It appears to depict Zarutska getting on a train before taking a seat in front of another passenger. After some time elapses, the other individual opens a knife, stands up and stabs Zarutska.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department identified the suspect as Decarlos Brown Jr., 34. He is facing state charges of first degree murder.
Russ Ferguson, the US attorney for the western district of North Carolina, announced federal charges against Brown on Tuesday, including committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system.
"It is a law that is there, because acts like this affect the American way. It affects our daily life," he told reporters at a news conference.
The charge carries a penalty of either life in prison or the death penalty.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal prosecutors would seek the "maximum sentence" for Brown.
"I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder," she said on American social media platform X. "We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man."
