The man accused of fatally stabbing a Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, on a train has revealed his chilling explanation for the brutal attack in a recorded jailhouse call.
Zarutska, a 23-year-old woman who fled the war in Ukraine with her family in search of safety, was tragically killed on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 22, 2025.
Surveillance footage released by police shows Decarlos Brown Jr. sitting behind Zarutska for several minutes before suddenly lunging forward and stabbing her three times in the neck and hands with a pocket knife.
He then walked calmly through the carriage with the blade dripping blood.
After moving to the US, Zarutska became fluent in English, worked at Zepeddie’s pizzeria, and dreamed of becoming a veterinary assistant while sharing her creativity as a “gifted and passionate artist.”
Her heartbroken family wrote in her obituary that she will be “remembered for her kindness, her creativity, and the lasting impression she left on everyone she met,” adding: “Her absence leaves a deep void, but her spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those who loved her.”
They also shared in a statement issued by lawyers: “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. No family should have to go through this.”
Brown was arrested shortly after the attack and has since been charged with first-degree murder, as well as federal charges that could bring life imprisonment or the death penalty.
President Donald Trump has demanded capital punishment: “The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY. There can be no other option!!!”
Trump also said Zarutska’s “blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail,” and specifically blamed former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, now a Senate candidate in North Carolina, saying state policies allowed violent offenders to remain free.
According to The Independent, he added: “North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it! Additionally, where is the outrage from the Mainstream Media on this horrible tragedy? VOTE FOR MICHAEL WHATLEY FOR UNITED STATES SENATE, HE WON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN!”
From jail, Brown gave a chilling explanation for the killing in a call to his sister Tracey.
“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 in the recorded call from August 28, obtained by the Daily Mail.
Tracey asked: “Out of all people, why her? She’s from the Ukraine, she’s from Russia, and they had a war going on against the United States, so I’m just trying to understand, of all people, why her?”
Brown responded: “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.”
Tracey, who was attacked by her brother in 2022, said he is a paranoid schizophrenic who often claimed the government implanted a chip in him. “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,” she said, per PEOPLE.
She said Brown’s decline worsened after he was released from prison in 2022 following a robbery conviction. In January, he called 911 to claim his brain was being controlled by a microchip. Instead of treatment, he was arrested for “misuse of the 911 system” and later granted cashless bail.
“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,” Tracey said.
Tracey’s mother added that she had tried to place Brown in a long-term mental care facility, but couldn’t because she was not his legal guardian.
“He was seeking help. He called 911 multiple times. Instead of talking to him, they thought charging him was going to help,” Tracey added.
Zarutska’s relatives are now calling not only for justice, but also for systemic change. They urged prosecutors to lock up Brown and address what they described as a “broader crisis in public safety and systemic failure”.
