The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USThe tech world has pledged over $1 million to create memorial murals of the Ukrainian refugee who was brutally murdered on a train in North Carolina last month. Eoghan McCabe, the CEO and founder of Intercom, committed $500,000 to commission nationwide murals of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who was stabbed to death on a light-rail train in South End, Charlotte, on August 22. “I am offering $500k in $10k grants to paint murals of the face of Iryna Zarutska in prominent US city locations,” McCabe wrote on X. The offer caught the attention of billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who then announced that he would contribute $1 million to the cause. A source working on initiative, who chose to be anonymous, told Fox News Digital that they are currently in talks with more than 1,000 artists across the country to select who will paint the murals. open image in galleryThe tech world has pledged over $1 million to create memorials of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee killed on a North Carolina train last month. (Charlotte Area Transit System)open image in galleryZarutska, 23, had recently moved to the U.S. from Ukraine in search of safety and “new beginnings,” her family said. (Iryna Zarutska)McCabe is also working on putting up posters featuring Zarutska’s face throughout major U.S. cities, the source added. The person familiar with the matter also told Fox that McCabe was inspired by his hope that Zarutska would not be forgotten after her brutal murder. Those looking to participate or donate to McCabe’s fund can contact his chief of staff, Katie Brenske Tolstedt, McCabe wrote on X. Zarutska had recently arrived in the U.S. from her war-torn homeland when she was attacked by a fellow passenger on a commuter train. In a GoFundMe, her family said she had been seeking safety and “new beginnings” in the U.S., but her life was tragically cut short. Horrifying security footage of the incident shows a man standing up in the seat behind Zarutska and fatally stabbing her with a switchblade before getting off the train at the next station. Decarlos Brown Jr, a 34-year-old homeless man reportedly suffering from schizophrenia, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The Department of Justice on Tuesday charged Brown with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system, a federal charge that could result in him facing the death penalty. The horrific stabbing, which left Zarutska dead at the scene with multiple stab wounds, has sparked mass outrage across the country including from President Donald Trump. “I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday.open image in galleryPresident Trump raged against Democrats in light of Zarutska’s killing, saying they “refuse to put bad people in jail.” (Donald J. Trump)“The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP.”Trump, who is promoting an anti-crime message, continued: “The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper.” Cooper, North Carolina’s former Democratic governor who is now running for the Senate, has been accused by Republicans of being “soft on crime” during his two-term tenure. Brown has an extensive criminal history that includes armed robbery, breaking and entering and larceny convictions dating back to 2011.He spent six years in jail from 2014 to 2020 and was most recently arrested in January 2025 for misusing the 911 system after he allegedly submitted a complaint about police officers not taking a medical issue seriously. He had been awaiting a court-ordered mental health examination since July.
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Musk pledges $1 million for memorials honoring Ukrainian refugee murdered on US train
