“She loved America.” That was what the mother and uncle of Iryna Zarutska said when asked about where they would bury their 23-year-old loved one after she was brutally killed on the Charlotte light rail by a repeat criminal offender on August 22.
Speaking to members of the press on Tuesday, United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina Russ Ferguson shared the conversation he said he had with Iryna’s family, and they said that they didn’t want her body returned home to Ukraine. A decision that couldn’t have been easy for any of them.
READ MORE: Justice Coming: Pam Bondi Announces Federal Charges Against Suspect in Fatal Charlotte Stabbing
‘Blood Is on the Hands…’: Trump Weighs in on Horrific Charlotte Murder
WOW — NC Atty. announces Iryna Zarutska’s parents plan to bury her HERE in America.
“They said ‘She loved America. We’re going to bury her there.’ So I think we can give her an America to be proud of.” 🙏🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/o7UVRAiw9a
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 9, 2025
“I want to add one thing, that I hope the family won’t mind me sharing,” Ferguson said. “But after Iryna’s death, the embassy in Ukraine called and said, ‘We’ll help you bring her home.'”
“And her family said no,” he added. “They said, ‘She loved America. We’re going to bury her here.’ So, I think we can give her an America to be proud of.”
The U.S. Attorney then reiterated earlier statements from the press conference that something in America is broken, which resulted in the murder of the young lady.
“And we are here to fix it,” Ferguson added, before he turned the event over to the reporters for questions.
SEE: Axios Hits New Low, Bent That Iryna Zarutska’s Murder Validates MAGA Crime Message
As my RedState colleague Sister Toldjah reported, Ferguson previously hinted that the government would be pressing federal charges against the man police have accused of the heinous murder, career criminal Decarlos Brown, Jr.
Toldjah wrote:
Among the announcements of investigations by both the FBI and the Department of Transportation, we also learned that the US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Russ Ferguson, was hinting at possible federal charges against the suspect, 34-year-old homeless man and repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr.
“The stabbing on the Charlotte light rail was a tragedy, and we are looking at every way the federal government can bring justice to Iryna Zarutska and her loved ones,” Ferguson noted in a statement, while vowing to help restore confidence in the public transit system.
She went on:
In an update to this story, DOJ Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced her department will be moving forward with federal charges against Brown:
Bondi’s post read:
Iryna Zarutska was a young woman living the American dream — her horrific murder is a direct result of failed soft-on-crime policies that put criminals before innocent people.
I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) September 9, 2025
I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder. We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man.
On Monday, President Donald Trump weighed in on the Zarutska’s murder and said Democrats have blood on their hands for their failed woke soft-on-crime policies, as RedState reported.
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