NEED TO KNOW
- Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed while riding a light rail train in Charlotte, N.C.
- Decarlos Brown Jr. is charged with murder in connection with her death
- Brown was previously arrested and charged with misuse of 911 in January after telling police he believed “man-made” material had been placed in his head
The suspect accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee aboard a Charlotte, N.C. light rail train has reportedly spoken out from jail via his sister.
Decarlos Brown Jr. is facing both state and federal charges in connection with the death of Iryna Zarutska, 23, who was fatally stabbed while riding a Charlotte Area Transit System light rail train on Aug. 22.
Brown is charged with first-degree murder in North Carolina and committing an act causing death on a mass transportation system in federal court.
According to an arrest affidavit filed in Mecklenburg County and obtained by PEOPLE, Brown allegedly unfolded a knife from his pocket and struck Zarutska three times minutes after she stepped on the train.
Brown has not yet entered a plea.
The Daily Mail spoke to Brown’s sister, Tracey Brown, who said she has spoken to her brother since he was arrested and shared an audio recording of their phone call.
“I hurt my hand, stabbing her,” Brown reportedly told his sister. “I don’t even know the lady. 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?”
He further told his sister that “materials” in his brain needed to be investigated and that the government had planted said “materials,” according to the report.
Tracey reportedly asked her brother why he stabbed Zarutska.
“They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened,” he reportedly responded, referring to the “materials.”
“Whoever was working the materials they lashed out on her,” he continued. “That’s all there is to it.”
The reported conversation mirrors an alleged conversation Brown had with a police officer in January.
An affidavit obtained by PEOPLE states that Brown spoke to officers who had responded to a welfare check. He allegedly told the officers that he “believed someone gave him ‘man-made’ material that controlled when he ate, walked, talked,” according to the document.
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Brown was arrested following the incident and charged with misusing 911 when he allegedly called emergency services after becoming upset at the officers on scene.
Tracey Brown told the Daily Mail that she believed her brother was dangerous and that he should not have been allowed on the street prior to the alleged stabbing.
“He was a high risk,” she told the paper. “He was not in his right mind. He was not safe for society.”
Brown’s sister and lawyer did not immediately return requests for comment.
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