In the past few weeks, some events have happened that have gained national attention and the outcry from solid citizens of our nation. Let me share one of those events with you. This isn’t for the squeamish or faint of heart.
Prior to August 22, Iryna Zarutska was a name unknown to anyone except her closest friends and family. “In August 2022, she emigrated from Ukraine with her mother, sister, and brother to escape the war, and she quickly embraced her new life in the United States.
“A gifted and passionate artist, Iryna graduated from Synergy College in Kyiv with a degree in Art and Restoration. She shared her creativity generously, gifting family and friends with her artwork. She loved sculpting and designing unique, eclectic clothing that reflected her vibrant spirit.
“Iryna also had a deep love for animals. She often cared for her neighbors’ pets, and many fondly remember seeing her walking them through the neighborhood, always with her radiant smile. She dreamed of pursuing a career as a Veterinary Assistant while also working toward her independence by learning to drive. Remarkably, she became fluent in English within a very short time, reflecting her determination and love of learning.”1
On the evening of August 22, Iryna was riding the metro train home from work, Zepeddie’s Pizzeria in Charlotte, NC.2 Just after 10:00 p.m., 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., stabbed Iryna three times in an unprovoked attack. “The train travels for approximately four and half minutes before the suspect pulls knife from his pocket, unfolds the knife, pauses, then stands up, and strikes at the victim three times,” a police detective wrote in an affidavit. “Blood visibly drips on the floor as the defendant walks away from the victim. The victim goes unresponsive shortly after the attack…There appears to be no interaction between the victim and defendant,” the affidavit states.”3 Iryna is dead. Who’s to blame?
Obviously, Decarlos Brown. There’s no getting around the video evidence. There can be no justification for such an attack.
What about the people sitting around Iryna who did NOTHING except look the other way? Political commentator Matt Walsh tweeted, “On the contrary to helping the 23-year-old, people around her “pretended they didn’t notice” as she was bleeding out, with some of them even walking by casually. Nearly two minutes after the attack one man comes over to try and help. Everyone else just stands and watches. A short time later another woman, and then another man. Those three should be commended. The rest of the people on that train should be plagued with shame and guilt for the rest of their lives. But I doubt they’ll ever give it a second thought.”4
What about the criminal justice system? “Decarlos Brown’s criminal history stretches back at least to 2011, with no fewer than 14 arrests between 2011 and 2025. The offenses span a wide range — from simple assaults and disorderly conduct to theft and domestic violence.”5 He had served five years for armed robbery but was released in 2020. With the constant barrage of infractions, why wasn’t he in jail? Allegedly, he had psychiatric issues. Why wasn’t he institutionalized? At the beginning of 2025, he was to have had a mental health evaluation. Eight months later, it still hadn’t happened.
While one man stabbed and killed Iryna, it seems like there are many others who bear the weight of culpability in her death and yet they will skate from justice just as easily as Decarlos did all these years.
And that’s not right!
There are probably millions of injustices in this world that will never be rectified. We grieve. We become angry. We get disillusioned. We become cynical and skeptical. Yes, I’m speaking about Christians because if anyone knows the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, it’s the born-again believer. And while we tell ourselves that there is a grand purpose and scheme to it all, stories like this cause our faith to wiggle like a bowl of Jell-O.
Our only consolation to stories like this rest in the knowledge and assurance that God is a righteous, holy Judge. And a day of judgment is coming.
1 Corinthians 4:5 says, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.” And, in 2 Timothy 4:1, we read, “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.”
Take heart in knowing that “the judge standeth at the door” (James 5:9) and Psalms 9:7-8 is soon to be fulfilled. “But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. (8) And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.”
1https://www.jamesfuneralhomelkn.com/obituaries/iryna-zarutska/obituary
2https://www.zepeddies.com/
3https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/crime/3796856/what-to-know-charlotte-light-rail-stabbing-iryna-zarutska/
4https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/matt-walsh-says-passengers-who-did-not-try-and-save-iryna-zarutska-s-life-on-the-train-should-be-plagued-with-shame-and-guilt/ar-AA1Mfn31?ocid=BingNewsSerp
5https://sfg.media/en/a/who-is-decarlos-brown-jr-and-why-was-he-free-after-14-arrests/
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