Trump's week in review: Probing and prosecuting murder of Iryna Zarutska, remembering Charlie Kirk

2. Trump administration announces steps to investigate, prosecute murder of Iryna Zarutska 

Throughout the week, the Trump administration announced several investigations into the death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month. The fact that Zarutska’s killer, DeCarlos Brown Jr., had multiple run-ins with law enforcement for committing violent crimes and was still free at the time of her murder sparked outrage. 

In a statement posted on X Monday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced, “The FBI has been investigating the Charlotte train murder from day one.”

Similarly, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement shared on X Tuesday that she had directed U.S. attorneys to federally prosecute Brown.

“We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime, and he will never again see the light of day as a free man,” she vowed. 

The U.S. Department of Justice released a statement Tuesday clarifying that Brown was charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. If convicted, Brown could face a maximum penalty of life in prison or death. 

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy also commented on the case in a public statement, indicating that his agency was “investigating Charlotte over its failure to protect Iryna Zarutska.” He also warned that the city could lose federal funding. “If mayors can’t keep their trains and buses safe, they don’t deserve the taxpayers’ money.”