On February 14, a 21-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Kateryna Tovmash, was fatally shot in North Carolina. She had relocated to the United States due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This incident follows the August 2025 murder of another Ukrainian, Iryna Zarutska, in the same state.
Local police, along with Kateryna’s brother, Mykhailo Tovmash, provided details surrounding the crime. The suspect has been identified as her ex-boyfriend, 25-year-old Caleb Hayden Fosno. According to the investigation, Fosno traveled from Ohio and entered the home where Kateryna lived with younger family members.
He reportedly forced the children to wake Kateryna before shooting her and her 28-year-old partner, who was present at the time. Fortunately, the children were unharmed during the attack. Following the shooting, Fosno fled but was later apprehended by law enforcement. He now faces two counts of first-degree murder.
Kateryna Tovmash hailed from Bila Tserkva and had been living in the United States for approximately two years after her family fled Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict.
In a separate case, Iryna Zarutska, 23, was found dead on August 22 at a light rail station in Charlotte, North Carolina. Like Kateryna, she had come to the U.S. following the onset of the Russian invasion. Police reported that Iryna died from a stab wound, and the suspect, 34-year-old Dekarlos Brown, was arrested shortly after the incident.
Brown has been charged with first-degree murder, although the motive for the attack remains unclear. His criminal history includes multiple arrests since 2011 for serious offenses, including armed robbery and threats, though many charges were dismissed. In January 2025, he was charged with the improper use of the 911 system, with that case still pending.
In response to Iryna’s murder, former President Donald Trump called for the death penalty for Brown, while Elon Musk pledged $1 million to fund murals depicting Iryna.
On October 22, Brown was formally charged in U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina with violence resulting in death, with the possibility of the death penalty on the table.
The recent murders of two Ukrainian refugees in North Carolina have highlighted ongoing safety concerns for immigrants in the U.S. Both cases involve suspects with prior criminal histories, raising questions about community safety and support for refugees.