India, Sept. 10 -- Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska's murder case took a massive turn on Tuesday. The Justice Department announced murder charges against the suspect, DeCarlos Brown Jr. Zarutska was stabbed in a Charlotte commuter train last month. The suspect now could face the death penalty. Authorities further revealed that Brown Jr had a long history with the criminal justice system.

Prosecutors in North Carolina charged him with first-degree murder, while federal officials filed a separate count of causing death on a mass transportation system.

The killing, captured on surveillance video, unfolded within minutes of Zarutska boarding the train. She sat in front of Brown, investigators said, when he suddenly pulled a pocketknife and ...