Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was murdered in Charlotte last summer. She was minding her own business, seated on a public transit train, when a deranged felon abruptly attacked her from behind, without warning, allegedly stabbing her to death. The vicious assault was captured in surveillance footage that went viral and sparked outrage, especially after it was revealed that the suspect had been arrested on at least 14 previous occasions.

“Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes freed [the suspect ] in January, around seven months before police say he went on to slaughter Iryna Zarutska on August 22,” the Daily Mail reported in 2025. “Stokes allowed [the accused killer], who is homeless and has a litany of previous offenses, to walk free on a ‘written promise’ that he would return for his next court appearance.”