Decarlos Brown Jr., the man charged with fatally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light-rail train on Aug. 22, spoke for the first time from jail in a recorded call in which he told his sister he believed "materials" had been placed in his brain and were controlling his actions, his sister told a news outlet.
Surveillance video released by investigators shows a man later identified as Brown lunging at Zarutska from behind as she sat on the train. Zarutska died at the scene. Brown, 34, was arrested soon after and charged by local authorities with first-degree murder; the Department of Justice has since added a federal charge alleging he committed an act causing death on a mass transportation system.
In a call that his sister, Tracey Brown, recorded and later shared with a news organization, Brown said he hurt his hand during the attack and insisted he did not know Zarutska, according to her account. He told his sister he believed government agents had implanted a device or "man-made materials" in his body that were controlling him and that he thought Zarutska was reading his mind, she said.
Tracey Brown said she visited her brother in the Mecklenburg County Jail and spoke with him through a glass window. She told reporters he had repeatedly sought medical help in recent years as his mental health deteriorated, including multiple 911 calls in which he asserted that something was controlling his brain. Police records cited by her account show a Jan. 19 arrest for alleged misuse of 911 during a welfare check; she said magistrate actions in January resulted in cashless bail and a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation that was delayed.
Zarutska's family released a statement through their attorney that described the 23-year-old as "kind and hardworking" and said she had come to the United States in 2022 with her family to escape the war in Ukraine and build a new life. The family said she was employed at a south Charlotte pizzeria and was studying English at community college.
"We are heartbroken beyond words. Iryna came here to find peace and safety and instead her life was stolen from her in the most horrific way," the statement said. The family called for accountability, a full investigation into transit security and alleged lapses in oversight of the Charlotte Area Transit System and its private security contractors, and reforms to prevent similar attacks.
Authorities have described the attack as random. Police said Brown was observed on video carrying a knife after the assault and was detained by officers following his arrest. Prosecutors in the federal case said the alleged act occurred on a public mass transit system and pursued the additional charge as part of their investigation.
Tracey Brown told reporters she believed state systems failed her brother and that he should not have been on the streets given his mental-health history. She said he had sought help and that medical and judicial responses had not prevented his condition from worsening. She also recounted that Brown spent much of his life in and out of prison, including a five-year sentence for a 2014 armed robbery, and that his behavior changed following his release in 2020.
Zarutska's family urged the public and media not to repost or circulate footage of the killing, calling such dissemination disrespectful to the victim and her grieving relatives. They said their immediate priorities are securing accountability for her death and pursuing changes to transit safety protocols.
Investigators continue to review the case and the circumstances that led to the attack. Brown was being held in Mecklenburg County Jail pending upcoming court proceedings. City and transit officials have said they will cooperate with investigators reviewing security measures on the system; the family's statement called on Charlotte leaders to address any identified gaps.
The killing has drawn attention to mental health, public safety and transit security in Charlotte. Officials and community members have said they expect authorities to provide a full account of the investigation and any recommended changes to protect riders going forward.