Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect charged with fatally stabbing a young Ukrainian refugee on a North Carolina train, erupted in court this week.
On August 22, Decarlos Brown Jr. was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after surveillance footage captured him attacking Iryna Zarutska on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina. The footage shows Brown, 30, stabbing Zarutska in the neck. After the attack, he is seen walking through the train carriage while still holding the knife.
The young woman had recently arrived in the U.S. after fleeing her war-torn country in hopes of a fresh start. Officials revealed that Zarutska had previously lived in a bomb shelter before coming to America.
Iryna Zarutska
Zarutska’s family described her as “gifted and passionate,” according to VT, adding: “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.”
Brown is facing both state first-degree murder charges and a federal charge of committing murder on a mass transportation system. If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina: “Surveillance footage showed the victim entering the light rail car and sitting down in the row in front of Brown. Approximately four minutes later, Brown pulled a knife from his pocket and unfolded it before striking the victim three times from behind, killing her. Following the attack, it is alleged that Brown walked away from the victim. Responding officers located Brown on the light rail platform.”
Decarlos Brown Jr. erupted in court this week
This week, Brown erupted in court after discussing what he claimed was the motive behind the fatal attack on Zarutska, according to VT.
He appeared before a federal judge in Charlotte on Tuesday and reportedly shouted that he had “material in his body.” He also demanded that charges be filed against the FBI.
According to Queen City News, Brown also asked the judge about his mental health evaluation, questioning whether he had reviewed it, along with a letter his mother had written during the brief hearing.
His outburst came as the court determined that he remains incompetent to stand trial.
Revealed chilling “motive” behind the attack
In a recorded conversation obtained days after Zarutska’s death, Brown admitted why he stabbed the young woman.
“I hurt my hand, stabbing her. 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 said to his sister Tracy, who later said he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, according to VT.
When his sister, Tracy, asked why he targeted Zarutska, Brown said:
“They just lashed out on her, that’s what happened. 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.”
Tracy said: “A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break. And I think that night he broke.”
“He was a high risk. He was not in his right mind. He was not safe for society. We know what he has been dealing with the last three years. And now an innocent woman is dead.”
Federal prosecutors have indicated they intend to pursue the death penalty.
