Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect charged with fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska on a North Carolina train, made a statement about President Donald Trump during his competency hearing.
Decarlos Brown Jr., 30, was arrested on Aug. 22, 2025, and charged with first-degree murder after surveillance footage captured him attacking 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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.”
In 2022, Iryna Zarutska fled the war in Ukraine with her mother, sister and brother, searching for safety and hoping for a fresh start in the U.S., according to her obituary.
Emergency calls described the horror on the train
On Oct. 1, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released the heartbreaking emergency calls it received from terrified passengers describing what had happened.
“It could be any of us, it could be (inaudible) too!” one caller can be heard hysterically crying, according to 911 recordings obtained by Fox News. “This man f****** stabbed her for no reason. I was standing right beside her…she’s bleeding!”
Another caller said: “This lady just got stabbed…I’m not sure where we are…There’s a tall building with blue X’s on it. There’s a lady on the ground. She’s bleeding a lot. I don’t think she’s responsive. There is a lot of blood.
“Everyone is screaming. People are freaking out,” the caller continued. “She’s on the train. She’s on the ground. There are people around her right now. She looks young… I don’t know. I don’t think she’s responsive right now. There’s a lot of blood.”
“I think she’s dead. She’s not responding,” she said, the sound of emergency sirens now faintly ringing in the background. “She was stabbed in the carotid [artery], I believe. There’s a lot of blood. There is no pulse. I think she’s gone.”
A third caller cried out: “A girl got stabbed on the train. I think she’s dead, man. I think she might be dead.”
Decarlos Brown Jr. diagnosed with schizophrenia
Multiple callers described the horror onboard the train, and after the attack, Decarlos Brown Jr. was arrested. His family later confirmed he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and his sister 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,” according to VT.
“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.”
In a recorded conversation obtained days after Zarutska’s death, Brown admitted to his sister that 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.
Found incapable to stand trial
The fatal stabbing sent shockwaves through the U.S., with even President Donald Trump expressing his outrage. Now, Brown has been found “incapable to proceed” on state murder charges.
According to a motion filed April 7, the suspect underwent an evaluation at Central Regional Hospital. A report dated Dec. 29 concluded that he was not capable of proceeding with the case, WBTV reported.
As a federal judge prepared to follow a state judge’s decision declaring him too mentally unstable to stand trial, Brown reportedly interrupted the proceedings and spoke directly to the judge.
Exactly what Brown was trying to convey to U.S. District Judge Kenneth Bell remains somewhat unclear, but he mentioned President Donald Trump, according to a transcript of the hearing obtained by the Charlotte Observer.
Iryna Zarutska was stabbed on a North Carolina train
During the hearing, Bell reviewed details related to the case and asked Brown’s death penalty lawyer for additional comments.
“No, Your Honor,” attorney Joshua Kendrick replied, according to the Charlotte Observer. “I would note that prior to the hearing we did give you a written statement that expressed our client’s feelings about this procedure and future proceedings. And we have explained to him that, of course, this is your courtroom as far as how the rules will work and that you have that information and will consider it in your ruling.”
“I got a copy right here for you, too,” Brown then said about the paper, which reportedly read: “someone has full access to my body and they are controlling me wrongfully… I was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia.”
“I have a copy. I have a copy,” Bell responded.
“The same copy?” Brown asked, and Bell confirmed that he did.
What Decarlos Brown Jr. said about Donald Trump
That’s when Brown first mentioned Donald Trump: “About informing Donald Trump –,” Brown said, according to the transcript.
Bell tried to interrupt him, but Brown continued: “– that I got a body emergency.”
Bell once again said his name in an attempt to redirect his attention, but Brown kept going: “– that needs to be taken care of.”
“Mr. Brown, stop talking now,” Bell then said.
“And the FBI refuses to investigate and I want to press charges, and I want the media to know that. That’s it,” Brown continued before Bell intervened.
“Mr. Brown, if you’re going to remain in the courtroom, you’re going to remain quiet.”
“I just had to get that out,” Brown responded, and after that he remained quiet until the end of the hearing.
Decarlos Brown has been held in federal custody in Chicago since a grand jury indicted him on October 22 on charges of committing violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death. He is also facing state charges of first-degree murder.
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