A shocking new chapter has emerged in the brutal killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed on a North Carolina train last month.
Now speaking from prison, the suspect claims the attack wasn’t entirely his own doing.
Shocked the whole world
On August 22, Decarlos Brown Jr. was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after surveillance footage captured him attacking Zarutska on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The young woman had just arrived in the U.S. fleeing her war-torn country, hoping for a fresh start. Officials revealed that Zarutska had previously lived in a bomb shelter before coming to America.
Her uncle said she was eager to start working immediately upon arrival. Once she received the proper documents, she held jobs at a sandwich shop and an assisted living facility alongside her mother.
She had plans to attend school to become a veterinary assistant and was also taking English classes at a community college.
At the time of her death, Zarutska was working at a local pizzeria and had a “strong desire to have a better life,” her uncle told ABC News.
That evening, Zarutska had just finished her shift and, according to her family’s attorney, had “texted her boyfriend that she would be home soon.”
She had only traveled four and a half minutes before the 34-year-old Brown Jr. allegedly pulled out a knife, paused, then stabbed her three times in the neck.
The harrowing footage shows Zarutska looking up in horror before collapsing to the train floor. Clips circulating online suggest the suspect muttered, “I got that white girl,” as he walked away.
Zarutska was pronounced dead at the scene just 15 seconds after the attack.
Zarutska’s boyfriend speaks out
Her boyfriend, Stanislav “Stas” Nikulytsia, 21, who had been living with Zarutska in Charlotte for the past year, arrived at the station only to learn she had died at the scene.
Nikulytsia shared his grief online for the first time on Wednesday, posting a tender photo of the couple in bathing suits with just a broken heart emoji. He has also reposted videos criticizing Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes, who released Brown on cashless bail seven months before the killing.
North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore echoed the public outrage, saying:
“North Carolina’s justice system failed Iryna Zarutska. She came to Charlotte looking for safety and a better life, but instead, she was brutally murdered by a repeat offender who never should’ve been let back on the streets.”
Moore directly called for action against the judge:
“Judge Stokes had the chance to protect the public and chose not to. It’s clear that she’s unfit to hold this consequential position and should be removed from the bench immediately.”
North Carolina doesn’t have a formal cashless bail system. In certain cases, judges or magistrates can release a defendant based on a written promise to appear, or they can require a secured bond in accordance with state law.
A troubled past
Brown Jr. has a long criminal history, including robbery convictions dating back to 2011 and six years in North Carolina prison for robbery with a dangerous weapon. He had also been arrested in 2022 for assaulting a woman and is a diagnosed schizophrenic.
His mother, Michelle Dewitt, told The New York Post that her son should have “never been free” given his deteriorating mental health. She said he had been increasingly aggressive and had recently stayed in a homeless shelter.
Now speaking from prison, Brown Jr. claims the attack wasn’t entirely his own doing.
His sister, Tracey Brown, 33, released an audio recording of a phone call with her brother in which he said he believed the government had implanted foreign “materials” in his brain and that they were controlling his actions when he stabbed Zarutska.
“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 told his sister.
He also demanded that police “investigate” the so-called materials and referred to himself in the third person during the call.
Family calls for accountability
Tracey said the family repeatedly tried to get Brown Jr. admitted to medical facilities as his mental health worsened, but doctors often released him after just 24 hours.
“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,” Tracey told the media.
“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.”
Political reaction
The brutal killing has reignited debates over public safety and mental health, with President Donald Trump calling for the death penalty for Brown Jr.
North Carolina Republicans are also pointing fingers at Democrats’ “woke” policies and lenient crime enforcement, blaming them for the deadly stabbing of Iryna Zarutska.
Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper fired back, accusing Republicans of politicizing a tragedy. Cooper, a 2026 Senate candidate in North Carolina, wrote on X on September 9: “The murder of Iryna Zarutska is a horrible tragedy and we must do everything we can to keep people safe.”
“Only a cynical DC insider would think it’s acceptable to use her death for political points, especially one who supported cutting funding to law enforcement in NC,” Cooper said.
As the investigation continues, the tragic death of Zarutska has highlighted gaps in mental health care, public safety, and the challenges of protecting vulnerable communities — including refugees seeking a new life in the U.S.
