A mother has come forward to speak about her son, who is accused of murdering a young woman on a train last month.
On August 22, Decarlos Brown Jr., allegedly stabbed and killed Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, aboard a train in North Carolina.
Disturbing video footage appears to show Zarutska boarding the train and sitting in front of Brown, who allegedly pulled a knife and stabbed her multiple times shortly thereafter.
The 34-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder for the unprovoked attack and is now facing additional federal charges.
The justice department has also charged Brown with causing death on a mass transportation system.
Brown’s family has been speaking out about the tragic event, stating that he had long struggled with mental health issues and schizophrenia.
His half-brother, Jeremiah, recently told the New York Post that the tragedy could have been avoided.
Now, Brown’s mother, Michelle Dewitt, has shared her perspective with the outlet, suggesting that local authorities failed her son by turning him away when the family sought help for his schizophrenic delusions.
In her interview with The Post, Michelle highlighted that her son should not have been allowed to walk freely due to his deteriorating mental health.
“He shouldn’t have been released,” the 51-year-old said, referring to his previous arrest in January after which he was released on a ‘written promise’ to appear in court.
Michelle also mentioned that she had taken Brown to a homeless shelter before the tragic incident because he had reportedly become aggressive towards her and her husband.
“When you bring someone to mental health services and [they] tell you ‘We don’t have enough space’ or ‘Is he trying to kill himself or someone else?’ and I say no, then there is nothing we can do, you need to get a court order,” she explained.
She, however, rejected claims that her son attacked the refugee due to her being white, asserting he was ‘definitely not racist’ and had ‘dated all kinds of girls.’
Instead, she suggested he had become convinced that someone was controlling him with an implanted ‘chip’.
Before the incident, Brown was arrested in January for ‘misuse of the 911 system,’ during which he reportedly told police that ‘man-made’ materials within him were controlling his body.
Brown was upset with the way police responded and called 911 again while they were still present, resulting in additional charges.
Despite this, he was not detained and was released the same day.
“He could do it again,” Jeremiah commented about his brother’s alleged actions. “They should still treat him for his mental issues but there are consequences for his actions.”
Michelle mentioned that she plans to visit her son in jail to ‘let him talk’ while trying to explain what has occurred.
“I don’t think he understands what’s happening,” she said, revealing that Brown believes he might be coming home soon.
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi has stated that authorities may seek the death penalty against Brown.