United States: Murderer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska declared unfit to stand trial by psychiatrists

The affair caused great emotion in the United States, particularly in conservative circles. A man accused of murdering a Ukrainian refugee has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial, US media reported on Wednesday.

DeCarlos Brown, 35, is suspected of stabbing to death Iryna Zarutska, 23, as she returned from work on a streetcar in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the east of the country, in August 2025.

According to local media, including WBTV, psychiatrists ruled that DeCarlos Brown was “unable” to appear and his lawyer requested a postponement of the trial.

Donald Trump asked for the death penalty

Describing the alleged murderer as an “animal”, Donald Trump called on his Truth Social network for “a speedy trial” and requested the death penalty against him. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, for her part, described DeCarlos Brown, already convicted multiple times in the past, as a “monster” who “should have been locked up.”

Images of the murder, captured by video surveillance cameras, were widely relayed by conservative media and social media accounts to support Donald Trump’s repressive crime policy.

Since his return to power more than a year ago, the American president has sent or attempted to send troops to several cities led by his Democratic opponents, such as the capital Washington or Los Angeles, in the name, according to him, of the fight against crime.