Elon Musk pledges $1M to murals honoring Ukrainian refugee murdered in North Carolina

11 Sep 2025 By foxnews

Silicon Valley is stepping in after the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska shocked the nation.

Eoghan McCabe, CEO and founder of Intercom, committed $500,000 to commission murals of Zarutska's face in major U.S. cities.

"I am offering $500k in $10k grants to paint murals of the face of Iryna Zarutska in prominent US city locations," McCabe wrote.

Those who want to participate in or donate to the initiative are encouraged to contact McCabe's chief of staff, Katie Brenske Tolstedt.

McCabe's post caught the attention of billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who replied with an offer to contribute $1 million. Musk has also been vocal about Zarutska's case, particularly media coverage of the killing and public reaction.

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A person working with the campaign who spoke with Fox News Digital under the condition of anonymity said that they are currently in talks with more than 1,000 artists across the country and are looking for the right locations for the murals. There are also poster campaigns in the works, which will appear in major U.S. cities.

The person also said that McCabe was inspired by a desire to not let Zarutska be forgotten or ignored by mainstream media after her life was taken in such a brutal way. The person also cited a realization about the failures of leftist policies.

Notably, after George Floyd's 2020 killing, murals and statues in his honor appeared across U.S. cities.

Surveillance video of Zarutska's stabbing has gone viral, sparking debate about how criminals are handled and public safety. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., had 14 prior arrests when he allegedly stabbed Zarutska to death on a train in Charlotte, N.C.

President Donald Trump, who has taken a controversial tough-on-crime approach to cities across the country, condemned the murder and said the video was "horrific." He also questioned why the suspect, who he called a "mentally deranged lunatic," was allowed to walk free despite a lengthy criminal record.

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"I have seen the horrific video of a beautiful, young Ukrainian refugee, who came to America to escape the vicious War in Ukraine, and was innocently riding the Metro in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she was brutally ambushed by a mentally deranged lunatic. The perpetrator was a well known career criminal, who had been previously arrested and released on CASHLESS BAIL in January, a total of 14 TIMES. What the hell was he doing riding the train, and walking the streets? Criminals like this need to be LOCKED UP," Trump said.

Zarutska came to the U.S. in August 2022 to escape the Russia-Ukraine war. She was working at Zepeddie's Pizzeria and was in her uniform when she was killed.

"This could have been anyone riding the light rail that night. We are committed to making sure this never happens again," Zarutska's family said in their first statement since she was murdered.

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Zarutska was on a Lynx Blue Line train in Charlotte when she sat in front of a man in a red hoodie later identified as Brown. After a few moments of sitting behind Zarutska, Brown is seen in the video standing up and stabbing the young woman.

Brown was arrested soon after the attack and has been charged with first-degree murder. The Justice Department on Tuesday added a charge of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system.

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan and Fox News' Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.