Ukrainian refugee killed in US: second such incident in six months

Irina Vakulyuk - 16 February, 05:55

Kateryna Tovmash. Photo: Instagram of Mykhailo Tovmash

Kateryna Tovmash, a 21-year-old Ukrainian refugee, and her boyfriend were shot dead in her home in the state of North Carolina on 14 February. In the same state, in August 2025, a homeless man stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska to death in the metro.

Source: local police; Kateryna's brother, Mykhailo Tovmash, on social media

Quote from Mykhailo Tovmash: "A refugee who fled the war in Ukraine seeking safety in the United States was murdered in her own home in North Carolina. This is the second time in the past year that a Ukrainian woman who is a refugee and is hiding for safety in North Carolina gets murdered by a man."

Details: According to early findings, the suspect is the girl's former boyfriend, 25-year-old Caleb Hayden Fosno. He travelled to North Carolina from the state of Ohio, driving for about seven hours, and then unlawfully entered the house at night. Younger members of the family were inside – two school-age sisters and a six-year-old brother.

Investigators say the man woke the children and forced the boy to take him to his sister's room. He then fired several shots in front of the child, killing Kateryna Tovmash and her 28-year-old partner.

After the murder, Fosno fled but was later detained by law enforcement officers. He has been charged with unlawful entry and two counts of first-degree murder.

Kateryna Tovmash was originally from Bila Tserkva. She moved to the United States with her family following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where she had lived for two years.

Background:

On 22 August 2025, Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska suffered multiple stab wounds and died at the scene at the East/West Boulevard railway station in the South End neighbourhood of the city of Charlotte.
The suspect in the killing – identified as 34-year-old homeless man Decarlos Brown Jr – was arrested. He was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and later charged with first-degree murder.
According to court records, Brown has a lengthy criminal history – since 2011, he has been repeatedly detained for theft, armed robbery and making threats.
US President Donald Trump called for the death penalty for Decarlos Brown Jr over the 22 August killing of the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee.

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