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Decarlos Dejuan GoFundMe taken down after community outrage over fundraising for Iryna Zarutska suspect

Iryna Zarutska was attacked on the Charlotte light rail on August 22 and succumbed to her injuries
posted by Sourodeep Dey
Monday 9/8/2025 at 3:57AM EDT
  • A representational image of a crime scene (Image via Unsplash/Joshua Coleman)
    A representational image of a crime scene (Image via Unsplash/Joshua Coleman)

    A GoFundMe campaign set up for the legal fees of Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr. has been taken down. Brown Jr. has been charged with the murder of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, as per The New York Post. The fundraiser for Brown Jr. was ended after netizens expressed outrage in wake of clips circulating on social media which allegedly depict Brown Jr. stabbing Zarutska in the neck on the Charlotte Area Transit System on August 22.

    A netizen posted a screenshot of Brown Jr.’s GoFundMe campaign, which attempted to raise money for the defense of the suspect, prompting widespread outrage on social media which decried the fundraising for someone who is charged with murder.

    After an independent journalist reached out to GoFundMe, she was informed by the organization that Brown Jr.’s fundraiser had been terminated.

    As per the screenshot shared by the journalist on X, GoFundMe ended the campaign in accordance with its policy of not hosting fundraisers meant to support the legal defense of those “formally charged with an alleged violent crime.”

    The message from GoFundMe also stated that all those who donated in support of the campaign had been refunded, adding,

    “Consistent with this long-standing policy, this fundraiser has been removed from the platform and the donors who contributed to the fundraiser have been fully refunded.”

     

     

    Meanwhile, a fundraiser in honor of Iryna has raised more than $73,000

    Iryna Zarutska had been travelling on the Lynx Blue Line of the Charlotte light rail on August 22. According to surveillance footage, she entered the train at around 9:46 p.m. and sat in front of a man.

    As per The New York Post, police said that the man, identified as 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., allegedly took out a knife after a few minutes and attacked Zarutska thrice, with at least one stab landing in her neck.

    The New York Post noted that according to surveillance footage, Brown Jr. allegedly walked through the train car and removed his sweatshirt, while Zarutska was seen clutching onto her neck and ultimately collapsing.

    According to the law enforcement, while Brown Jr. got off at the next stop, Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene, noted the publication.

     

    A day later, an online fundraiser was started in honor of Zarutska, which revealed that she was a refugee from war-torn Ukraine.

    The GoFundMe campaign page recounted her recent arrival to the US and said,

    “Our Valeria has suffered a terrible tragedy. Yesterday, her niece Ira, who was 23 years old was killed. Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon.”

    The funds raised by the campaign would go towards supporting expenses for her family, noted the GoFundMe page, which added,

    “This is an irreparable loss for her family. We have created this fundraiser to support Valeria and her loved ones during this heartbreaking time and to help them with the unexpected expenses. Any support you can give — whether through a donation or simply by sharing this page — will mean so much to the family.”

    In wake of the tragic incident on board the Charlotte light rail, CATS held a  public transit meeting and reported that it hired a chief safety and security officer in addition to increasing their security budget, as per Spectrum News 1.

    TOPICS: Iryna Zarutska


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