President Donald Trump demanded the death penalty Wednesday for a man charged with murdering a Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train -- a crime the US right has turned into a political rallying point.
"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 posted on his social media platform.
Trump's demand came after his attorney general, Pam Bondi, said she would pursue the "maximum penalty" against 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr.
Brown is accused of stabbing to death Iryna Zarutska, 23, as she rode home from work on a commuter train in Charlotte, North Carolina, last month.
Horrific security camera footage of the knife assault has been shared massively on right-wing outlets and social media accounts to bolster Trump's controversial crime crackdown.
Trump has deployed National Guard soldiers on the streets of Washington, DC, and has repeatedly threatened to expand the deployments to other Democratic-run cities.
Republicans say this is needed to reduce what they call out-of-control crime, while opponents accuse Trump of authoritarian overreach -- and point to statistics showing steep overall reductions in many crimes.
In the North Carolina case, the White House and its allies have highlighted the initial response by local Democratic officials who stressed the alleged killer's history of mental health problems.
Brown has multiple prior convictions -- including an armed robbery that led to five years in prison, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters Tuesday, calling him a "monster" who "should have been locked up."
