CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Republican officials held a press conference at a Charlotte light rail station on Wednesday, blaming city leadership and criminal justice policies for the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian woman on the transit system last month.

North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Jason Simmons said the Aug. 22 death of Iryna Zarutska reflects "ongoing failures of Charlotte leadership."

"Their weak-on-crime policies, their open door, and revolving door policies in our criminal justice systems and jails have allowed murderers back onto the streets time and time again," Simmons said at the press conference.

Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death on the LYNX Blue Line by Decarlos Brown, who faces first-degree murder charges. Brown has 14 previous court cases in Mecklenburg County and was rel

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