A man accused of fatally stabbing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte light rail train told his sister he believed "materials" placed in his body by the government compelled him to attack, according to a recorded jail call and family accounts obtained by the Daily Mail.
Surveillance video released by authorities shows Decarlos Brown, 34, lunging at Iryna Zarutska from behind on Aug. 22 as she sat on a train car. Brown was arrested at the scene and is being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail ahead of a court appearance later this month.
In a phone call six days after his arrest that was recorded by his sister, Tracey Brown, the defendant described to her, according to the recording and the sister’s interviews with reporters, a belief that "man-made" materials had been implanted in his body and were controlling his actions. He also told her he thought Zarutska was "reading his mind," she said.
"I hurt my hand, stabbing her. I don't even know the lady," he is heard saying in the recording described by his sister. The audio was obtained by the Daily Mail and provided by Tracey Brown, who told the outlet she later visited him in jail and spoke through a glass partition.
Police records cited in media reports say Brown told officers after his arrest that he believed "man-made" materials were inside his body and controlling his movements. The arrest affidavit cited in those reports says officers classified the matter as a medical issue and did not pursue further investigation into the alleged implants. Brown was charged and jailed following the Aug. 22 incident.
In her interviews, Tracey Brown described a history of mental-health crises involving her brother and said she believed he should not have been on the streets. She said he had repeatedly sought help in recent years and had called 911 on multiple occasions saying his brain was being controlled. She told the Daily Mail that when officers responded to at least one call a year ago they arrested him on a misdemeanor count for misuse of the emergency system rather than keeping him for psychiatric evaluation.
Tracey Brown also recounted a January court appearance in which a magistrate granted cashless bail on a written promise to appear and ordered a psychiatric evaluation she said was postponed. Court records or statements from prosecutors were not included in her account, and the magistrate's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Brown has a criminal record that includes an armed robbery conviction in 2014, for which he served several years in prison, according to his sister's account and public records cited by media outlets. She said he was a different person after his release and began exhibiting symptoms she found alarming, including talking about microchips and staring into space.
Zarutska's family said she had arrived in the United States in 2022 with relatives to escape the war in Ukraine and was beginning a new life in Charlotte. In an online memorial, they described her as a gifted artist who loved animals and had been working in a south Charlotte pizzeria while learning to drive. Ten days before her death, she posted a photo of Charlotte's skyline that appears to have been taken from a train window.
Local authorities released video of the attack showing Brown striking Zarutska and then walking through the train with a knife. The footage drew widespread attention and raised questions about transit safety and responses to mental-health crises. Law enforcement officials have not publicly commented on the account of implanted materials beyond details in the arrest affidavit that Brown reported being controlled.
Investigators are reviewing the incident and the circumstances leading up to the attack, officials said in prior statements. Prosecutors will determine charges based on the investigation, and the case will proceed through Mecklenburg County courts.
Family members of both the accused and the victim have spoken publicly. Tracey Brown urged officials to examine whether greater mental-health intervention could have prevented the killing. Zarutska's relatives described her death as an irreparable loss and paid tribute to her as a young woman pursuing stability and community after emigrating from Kyiv.
The case has renewed scrutiny of how local systems handle repeated calls involving people experiencing severe mental illness. Advocates for mental-health care and public-safety officials often point to gaps in community resources, outpatient treatment and court-ordered evaluation as contributing factors in violent incidents involving individuals in crisis.
Brown remains in custody as authorities continue their investigation and as defense and prosecution prepare for upcoming court proceedings. Officials did not immediately provide additional details about the ongoing inquiry or whether mental-health evaluations have been completed since his arrest.