‘This Is Disgusting’: Axios Trots Out ‘GOP Pounces’ Angle In Story About Stabbing Death Of Charlotte Refugee

Axios came under scrutiny on Monday for accusing supporters of President Donald Trump of using the brutal murder of a Ukrainian refugee in Charlotte, North Carolina, to suggest that crime is getting worse.

Surveillance footage released on Friday showed DeCarlos Brown, a homeless ex-convict with 14 prior court cases, fatally stabbing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train on Aug. 22. After the media largely ignored this tragic incident, Axios published the piece, “Stabbing video fuels MAGA’s crime message,” to suggest that “MAGA influencers” are using this surveillance footage to draw “repeated attention” to violent crime.

“MAGA influencers are drawing repeated attention to violent attacks to elevate the issue of urban crime — and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases … The rising number of surveillance cameras in public spaces, including on Charlotte’s light rail, has become a big accelerant in these cases,” Axios’ Marc Caputo wrote. “The video is easily shared or leaked, and can instantly pollinate across social media — a visual counterpoint to statistics showing crime decreases.”

Caputo highlighted remarks made by tech billionaire Elon Musk, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. The article also argued that Republican North Carolina Senate candidate Michael Whatley “invoked” the horrific stabbing to go after Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for being “soft on crime.”

The article received intense backlash on X by conservatives who were outraged by the tragedy. Blaze Media podcaster and author Auron McIntyre posted a Simpsons meme with the words, “You don’t hate journalists enough. You think you do but you don’t.”