09/16/2025
The uncle of Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian woman who was fatally stabbed while riding the Charlotte light rail late last month, spoke out after his niece's death, saying on Friday that she "didn't deserve" to be killed.
Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on Aug. 22 just before 10 p.m. while riding the Blue Lynx Line in Charlotte, according to an affidavit obtained by ABC News.
The victim's uncle, who described his niece as a "comforter" and "confidant," said Zarutska fled Ukraine and arrived in the U.S. in 2022, where she was living with her uncle, aunt, mother and siblings before moving in with her boyfriend in May, he said.
