The sister of a man accused of stabbing a Ukrainian refugee has shared the troubling statements he made about the incident.
Decarlos Brown Jr. has been arrested for allegedly stabbing and killing 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee.
The incident occurred last month on a train in North Carolina, with Brown and Zarutska being strangers prior to the attack.
Footage from the train shows Brown allegedly sitting behind Zarutska and then pulling out a knife to stab her multiple times.
The 34-year-old is facing charges of first-degree murder for the unexpected attack and also faces federal charges.
Tracey Brown, his sister, has recounted their phone conversation where he described his perspective on the attack.
In the recorded discussion, Brown claimed that he believed the government had inserted foreign ‘materials’ into his body, which influenced his behavior.
He stated, “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?”
“I feel like the material used in my body stabbed the lady.”
“You know, that is not me, I’m talking just for no reason? But since they did that, now they got to investigate the materials in my body exposed to.”
When questioned by his sister about why he attacked Zarutska, who was a Ukrainian refugee, Brown responded using third-person, indicating that ‘they’ targeted her.
He explained that those controlling the ‘materials’ in his body were responsible for the attack on Zarutska.
His sister also inquired about his travel plans before the incident, to which Brown replied he was heading to the hospital to seek removal of the materials to ‘stop going crazy’.
Tracy further discussed her brother’s mental health struggles with the Daily Mail, following a personal visit where she asked about the attack.
She expressed that her brother should not have been allowed in public and recounted numerous times when North Carolina officials could have intervened.
She mentioned her attempts to have her brother hospitalized due to mental health issues, only for him to be released after short stays.
She remarked, “I strongly feel like he should not have been on the streets at all.”
“I’m going to be honest. I’m not blaming anyone for his actions, except for the state. I’m blaming the state for letting him down as far as seeking help.”
“When you have mentally ill people seeking help, and you’re running tests on them, and you clearly see that you are dealing with a psychosis on an acute level, you do not let them go back into society.”
“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.”