DOJ Pursuing Death Penalty For Alleged Train Stabber With Mile-Long Rap Sheet, Bondi Says

Federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the accused murderer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutka if he is convicted in North Carolina, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Thursday.

Decarlos Brown Jr., a homeless man with lengthy criminal and mental health histories, faces a federal grand jury indictment charging him with murder on a public transportation system over Zarutska’s stabbing death on a Charlotte train in August. Bondi highlighted Brown’s numerous prior arrests before the killing during an interview on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

“I plan on signing a warrant to seek the death penalty in that case,” Bondi told host Jesse Watters. “He had been arrested 14 times, Jesse, as you know, and should have been in jail when he murdered that beautiful, innocent young woman.”

Brown’s attorney in the federal case, Joshua Kendrick, did not respond to the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. A judge appointed Kendrick as Brown’s attorney on Sept. 25 due to his experience with capital punishment cases, court documents show.

A public transit passenger — whom police identified as Brown — approached Zarutska from behind while she sat alone on the train and