Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, has been charged with first-degree murder for killing a 23-year-old woman on August 22.
Brown has been arrested at least 14 times, on account of felony larceny, robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault, shoplifting and making threats, according to documents reviewed by the New York Post.
The fundraising page suggests that Brown is just as much of a victim as the woman that he stabbed to death, claiming that the funds donated would help “to stop the injustice against Decarlos Brown Jr.”
“While what happened on the Blue Line was a tragedy, what we mustn’t lose sight of is the fact that Decarlos Brown Jr. was failed categorically by the judicial system and the mental health services of North Carolina, and as such is not entirely to blame for what happened,” one page wrote.
Another fundraiser for Brown wrote that “anything helps against the racism and bias against our people,” thanking donors for “giving us a hand to push against this corrupt narrative.”
Many users took to social media, expressing their frustration with GoFundMe for allowing the fundraisers.
One user posted to X, “No one should donate to GoFundMe EVER AGAIN. This is disgusting.”
Another user wrote that Brown was a “monster,” saying that it was “evil” of GoFundMe to allow a fundraiser page to be made for him.
GoFundMe has since removed the fundraising pages.
In a statement, GoFundMe said that their terms of service “explicitly prohibit fundraisers that raise money for the legal defense of anyone formally charged with an alleged violent crime.
“Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon,” according to the account that was set up to help Zarutska’s loved ones with funeral expenses.
“Ira had recently arrived in the United States, seeking safety from the war and hoping for a new beginning. Tragically, her life was cut short far too soon,” according to the account that was set up to help Zarutska’s loved ones with funeral expenses.
