Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train earlier this year, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that could lead to him getting the death penalty, the New York Post reports.

Brown, 34, received federal charges of violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death in the Western District of North Carolina, with the indictment stating that he acted with "reckless disregard for human life," making him eligible for the death penalty.

Earlier this month, a criminal justice reform named in honor of Zarutska, 23, was signed into law by the state's governor, raising the chances that Brown could face the death penalty by firing squad, the New York Post reported at the time. House Bill 307, known as 'Iryna's Law,' was approved by both chambers of the Republican majority North Carolina legislature and rubber-stamped by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on October 3.

The bill includes an amendment that would allow the state to resume capital punishment, which would include the use of a firing squad, as lethal injection is currently the only authorized method of execution. The provision would also bypass legal challenges that led to the state pausing execution in 2006 and require death penalty appeals be heard within two years of filing as the state currently has 122 inmates on death row.

The reforms would also deny certain violent offenders of cashless bail and limit a judge's authority over pretrial release, as well as require more defendants undergo mental health evaluations, all of which could've prevented Zarutska's murder from taking place. Brown's mother said her schizophrenic son, who had been arrested at least 14 times prior, should have never been released from jail as his mental health was quickly deteriorating.

“He shouldn’t have been released,” said Michelle Dewitt in an exclusive interview with the New York Post outside her home on September 10, referencing him being free on a "written promise" to appear in court after being arrested in January.

Dewitt said she took her son to a homeless shelter days before the incident took place after he had grown increasingly aggressive to both her and her husband. The 51-year-old denied that the attack was racially motivated, claiming her son was "definitely not racist" and had "dated all kinds of girls."

“When you bring a person to mental health, and [they] tell you ‘we don’t have enough space’ or, ‘is he trying to kill himself or someone else?’ and I say no, then there is nothing we can do, you need to get a court order,” Dewitt said.

Disturbing audio from Brown's phone conversation with his sister, Tracey, who he previously assaulted during a biting incident in 2022, included him claiming that "the material in his body" was responsible for killing Zarutska, not himself, six days after the murder took place, the Daily Mail reports.

“I hurt my hand, stabbing her. I don’t even know the lady. I never said not one word to the lady at all. That’s scary, ain’t it. Why would somebody stab somebody for no reason?” Decarlos said on the audio.

“Out of all people, why her? She’s from the Ukraine, she’s from Russia, and they had a war going on against the United States, so I’m just trying to understand, of all people, why her?” Tracey asked.

“They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened. Whoever was working the materials, they lashed out on her. That’s all there is to it. Now they really gotta investigate what my body was exposed to … Now they gotta do an investigation as to who was the motive behind what happened," Decarlos responded.

Tracey also confirmed that her brother is a paranoid schizophrenic who had claimed that the government had implanted a chip in him multiple times prior to the fatal incident on a Charlotte, North Carolina, train.

“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break. And I think that night he broke,” Tracey told CNN.

President Donald Trump shared a post calling for Brown to face the death penalty on his Truth Social account on September 10.

"The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a “Quick” (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!" Trump wrote.

Brown was charged with a federal count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system on September 9, having already faced a first-degree murder charge. Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly stated her intention to "seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable crime" and vowed that Brown would "never again see the light of day as a free man.”

Brown was freed after a magistrate released him with just a "written promise" to appear in court, despite having been arrested at least 14 times in North Carolina since 2007. Surveillance video shows a man identified as Brown pulling out a pocket knife and stabbing Zarutska in the neck.

Brown is currently being held in Mecklenburg County Jail without bond.

Amy James