A jailhouse phone call recorded days after a fatal light-rail stabbing in Charlotte features the suspect admitting he injured his hand during the attack and asserting that external "materials" had been implanted in his brain and were controlling his actions, according to the recording provided to the Daily Mail.
The Aug. 28 call, six days after the Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, was supplied by the suspect's sister, Tracey Brown. In the audio, Decarlos Brown, 34, says he did not know Zarutska and had never spoken to her, and he repeatedly pressed the idea that something had been placed in his body that made him act violently.
"I hurt my hand, stabbing her. I don’t even know the lady," the suspect says in the recording. "I never said not one word to the lady at all. That’s scary, ain’t it. Why would somebody stab somebody for no reason?" Tracey Brown asks her brother why he targeted Zarutska, saying the attack was senseless, and pressing further about the choice of victim. "Out of all people, why her? She's from the Ukraine, she's from Russia and they had a war going on against the United States, so I'm just trying to understand, of all people, why her?" she asks in the audio.
"They just lashed out on her, that's what happened," Decarlos Brown replies in the recording. "Whoever was working the materials they lashed out on her. That's all there is to it. Now they really gotta investigate what my body was exposed to... Now they gotta do an investigation as to who was the motive behind what happened."
Federal authorities announced Tuesday that Brown has been federally charged with one count of committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system. Mecklenburg County prosecutors have also charged him with first-degree murder in state court, according to public records.
Surveillance video released by authorities showed Zarutska cowering on the train minutes before the attack. The commuter, who was still in her pizzeria uniform, was reportedly stabbed on board and pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have described the assault as random and unprovoked.
Zarutska, who arrived in the United States in 2022 to escape the war in Ukraine, earned a degree in art and restoration from Synergy College in Kyiv, her family said. They remembered her as a passionate artist who loved animals and was eager to learn.
Family members of the suspect have said he has a history of mental illness. In the call, Brown insisted investigators should examine the alleged implanted materials as the source of his violent outburst; those assertions have not been corroborated by law enforcement.
Officials have not publicly confirmed details about any alleged implants or other medical interventions. Investigators continue to review evidence from the scene, surveillance footage, and witness accounts as the case proceeds through both federal and state courts. Prosecutors have not announced a trial date.
The case has drawn attention to public transit safety and to the circumstances of refugees and immigrants who settle in the United States after fleeing conflict. Community members and advocates called Zarutska's death tragic and emphasized the need for support to grieving family members.
Booking photos and court documents show Brown was taken into custody in late August. The recorded call is the first time he has been publicly heard since his arrest. The authenticity of the recording was not independently verified by law enforcement in public statements, and the content represents the suspect's own assertions and the account from his sister who provided the audio to a news outlet.
Authorities have urged anyone with additional information about the attack to contact local investigators as they continue the formal criminal process in both jurisdictions.
