On Monday, CBS Mornings spent just over two minutes on last month’s brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte allegedly at the hands of a man who had 14 prior arrests but was still allowed to roam free. This ended the shameful network blackout on the flagship morning and evening newscasts of ABC, CBS, and NBC.
This stood in stark contrast to others such as NewsNation, Newsmax, and the Fox News Channel which have, in some cases, been covering this murder all weekend following the release of the video leading up to and after Zarutska being stabbed:
“Now to a senseless attack on a Ukrainian refugee in this country, Iryna Zarutski — Zarutska, excuse me, was killed last month in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the light rail there in what officials are calling a random attack. New surveillance video shows exactly what happened,” co-host Tony Dokoupil began, adding “[w]e’re not going to show you the moment of the stabbing but...this footage is still disturbing.
Unsurprisingly and since this was the first network segment on the murder, correspondent Skyler Henry spend most of the time narrating the video:
It’s just before 10:00 p.m. on August 22 and 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, Jr., is seated on a Charlotte light rail train. Several other people are around him. According to officials, a few minutes later, the train doors open and 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska gets on and takes a seat in front of Brown. She is wearing what appears to be a work uniform, AirPods, and looking at her phone.
But then the unthinkable happens. You see Brown pull out what officials say was a pocket knife. He unfolds it, then stands up behind Zarutska. What we aren’t showing you is the moment where Brown stabs Zarutska several times and walks away. You can see Brown trying to get off the train. And a few people spring into action, attempting to save Zarutska. She would die from her injuries. Meanwhile, Brown, who has removed his hoody, waits for the train to stop, and then you see him exit.
Henry then revealed what came off as obvious in the video, which was that “[o]fficials say it appears that Brown and Zarutska did not know each other and a motive for the stabbing remains under investigation.”
He also delivered quite the understatement by refusing to put a number on the suspect’s previous cases in Mecklenburg County (14), including one case that led to a six-year sentence in 2015: “According to court documents, Brown has a criminal history dating back to 2011, including robbery with a dangerous weapon and other offenses.”
The segment closed by quoting the city’s far-left mayor, but skipping the party ID:
Charlotte’s Mayor, Vi Kyles, released this statement on X, saying in part, “This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time.” Brown is charged with first-degree murder and remains behind bars.
Before moving onto a puny 19-second brief on a deadly terror attack in Jerusalem (and 11 seconds on Gaza high rises being brought down), co-host Gayle King grimaced in regard to Zarutska’s killing: “We didn’t see it, but it’s extremely upsetting.”
So, while it’s certainly the news judgement viewers can and should expect under the new regime at the Skydance-helmed CBS News (and possibly Bari Weiss joining the fray), there were still a few key details missing such as party ID of those whose policies allowed the suspect to live on the streets.
To see the relevant CBS transcript from September 8, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings
September 8, 2025
7:08 a.m. EasternTONY DOKOUPIL: Now to a senseless attack on a Ukrainian refugee in this country, Iryna Zarutski — Zarutska, excuse me, was killed last month in Charlotte, North Carolina, on the light rail there in what officials are calling a random attack. New surveillance video shows exactly what happened. We’re not going to show you the moment of the stabbing, but a warning this footage is still disturbing. Skyler Henry reports.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Ukrainian Refugee Killed in NC Stabbing Attack]
SKYLER HENRY: It’s just before 10:00 p.m. on August 22 and 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown, Jr., is seated on a Charlotte light rail train. Several other people are around him. According to officials, a few minutes later, the train doors open and 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska gets on and takes a seat in front of Brown. She is wearing what appears to be a work uniform, AirPods, and looking at her phone. But then the unthinkable happens. You see Brown pull out what officials say was a pocket knife. He unfolds it, then stands up behind Zarutska. What we aren’t showing you is the moment where Brown stabs Zarutska several times and walks away. You can see Brown trying to get off the train. And a few people spring into action, attempting to save Zarutska. She would die from her injuries. Meanwhile, Brown, who has removed his hoody, waits for the train to stop, and then you see him exit. Officials say it appears that Brown and Zarutska did not know each other and a motive for the stabbing remains under investigation. According to court documents, Brown has a criminal history dating back to 2011, including robbery with a dangerous weapon and other offenses. Charlotte’s Mayor, Vi Kyles, released this statement on X, saying in part, “This was a senseless and tragic loss. My prayers remain with her loved ones as they continue to grieve through an unimaginable time.” Brown is charged with first-degree murder and remains behind bars. For CBS Mornings, I’m Skyler Henry.
GAYLE KING: We didn’t see it, but it’s extremely upsetting.
