Elon Musk-backed mural of Ukrainian refugee killed on train came to CT
A mural of slain Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska hangs from an apartment building in New Haven, Conn. on April 9, 2026.Nathaniel Rosenberg/Hearst Connecticut MediaA mural of slain Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska hangs from an apartment building in New Haven, Conn. on April 9, 2026.Nathaniel Rosenberg/Hearst Connecticut MediaNEW HAVEN — A two-story high mural depicting Iryna Zarutska — a Ukrainian refugee whose stabbing death in North Carolina last August has become a cause célèbre for the American right — was recently affixed to a downtown apartment building. That mural on a row of brownstones on Trumbull Street is one of close to a dozen such displays erected across the country, in an artistic campaign bankrolled in part by Elon Musk, after security footage of Zarutska's brutal killing while on a commuter train circulated widely online last year. Article continues below this adZarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian, was killed while riding a train in Charlotte, N.C. Her alleged murderer, a 35-year-old man named Decarlos Brown Jr., who was caught on camera stabbing Zarutska, has an extensive criminal record and a history of schizophrenia.Earlier this week, a state psychiatric facility determined Brown was "incapable to proceed" in a murder trial for Zarutska's killing, due to his mental condition. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have sought to turn Zarutska's death into a broader referendum on policing and criminal justice reform efforts in Democratic-run communities. In North Carolina, lawmakers passed "Iryna's Law," which rolled back the use of cashless bail and took a step towards reintroducing the death penalty.Article continues below this adMake us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search.The mural program, which is run by Remember Iryna, a group organized by tech CEO and Republican donor Eoghan McCabe and financed in part by a $1 million donation from Musk, has popped up in Washington, DC, Miami and New York, among other locales.In Providence, R.I., last week, Mayor Brett Smiley, a Democrat, panned a planned Zarutska mural, and the piece was ultimately moved to a smaller location after blowback from residents.But so far, aside from some grousing on Reddit and Facebook threads and a disapproving statement from the mayor, the reaction in New Haven has been more muted.Article continues below this adA mural of slain Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska hangs from an apartment building in New Haven, Conn. on April 9, 2026.Nathaniel Rosenberg/Hearst Connecticut MediaRemember Iryna and Kumail Zar, the West Haven-based owner of the Trumbull Street property where the mural hangs, did not respond to requests for comment.Mayor Justin Elicker described Zarutska's death as a "tragedy" and the simultaneous lack of support for people dealing with severe mental health crises as "deeply troubling." "While people have the right to free speech and freedom of expression, in my view, putting up a mural or banner that aims to stir controversy as opposed to facilitate thoughtful dialogue on such an important issue is not a constructive way to move things forward," Elicker said.Article continues below this adBut for whatever reason, the tinderbox of national political issues attached to the mural — debates around policing and mental health, race (Brown is Black), immigration and public safety on transit — have failed to ignite in the Elm City. A spokesperson for Elicker confirmed his office has not received any calls or emails about the mural. Christine Kim, the alder who represents the area between the city's downtown and graduate-student-heavy East Rock neighborhood where the mural was posted, says she hasn't heard any complaints either."We are a part of an important fabric of the rest of the city, but also the country and the world," Kim said. "But we can only try to deal with what is here and what's affecting people in our community, and the most important thing is that we try to take care of each other."It's not as though the mural is hard to see. Despite some obstruction by a tree, it stands more than 20 feet tall and is posted in an area with both high foot traffic and a steady stream of cars merging onto a nearby ramp to Interstate 91.Article continues below this adBut unlike in Providence, where the backlash drew national media attention, the murals' New Haven neighbors seem to have paid it no mind.Ben Keller, the Connecticut-based artist who painted the mural, did not respond to a request for comment, though he did share photos and video of the work on social media.Keller told the New Haven Independent, which first reported on the display, that he had taken on the work to honor Zarutska, whose death he said should not be political.Article continues below this adOutside the mural on Trumbull Street on Wednesday afternoon, two residents of the brownstones where the mural hangs stopped to talk, though both declined to give their names.Both said they had not received any notice of the mural's installation, which occurred sometime last week.One of the two residents said the most annoying part for him was that the installers screwed bolts into his wall while he was on an evening work call, causing an unexpected ruckus.Article continues below this adThat resident said he didn't understand what was so controversial about the mural, describing it as "anger porn.""I don't get why people care so much," he reflected, before retreating up the steps to his apartment.
