Suspect in N.C. Train Stabbing Was Homeless, Had Asked to Stay with Mom Days Before Attack By Janelle Griffith

The man accused of fatally stabbing a young Ukrainian refugee on a light rail train last month was homeless and had asked to stay with his mother days before the attack, she says.

The mother of Decarlos Brown Jr., Michelle Dewitt, tells PEOPLE, that days before the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, her son had shown up at her house and asked to stay with her.

Dewitt says he had a history of mental illness, was homeless and was living at a local shelter. After showing up at her house, his mother took him to a homeless shelter, she said.

Brown, 34, was charged by federal prosecutors with causing death on a mass transportation system in connection with Zarutska’s Aug. 22 death. Brown could face capital punishment if convicted.

The apparently random attack has sparked outrage after security footage was released Friday.

Court records show Brown had been arrested more than a dozen times before Zarutska’s killing.

In January, he allegedly told police officers that “‘man-made’ material” had been given to him and now controlled his every move, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. Brown asked the officers to investigate the material, but when they said it was instead a medical issue, he called 911 and was later charged with misuse of 911.

He was released days later by a magistrate judge conditioned on a written promise to appear at future hearings.

In a statement shared through their attorney, Zarutska’s family, described her as a “kind and hardworking young woman, deeply loved by her family and friends.”

The family said they are committed to making sure such a tragedy never happens again.