34-year-old Decarlos Brown, suspected in the brutal killing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in the U.S., has spoken publicly for the first time in a phone conversation with his sister.
Brown, who according to his family suffers from a severe mental illness, admitted that he did not know Iryna personally and attacked her because he “believed she was reading his thoughts.”
“I cut my hand when I struck her. I didn’t even know this woman. I never spoke a single word to her. That’s terrifying, isn’t it? Why should someone attack just like that?” he is heard saying on the recording.
Brown also claimed that “foreign materials” had been implanted into his brain, allegedly controlling his behavior. He said he was driving downtown, planning to go to the hospital to ask doctors for help to “get rid of it” and “stop going crazy.”
Later, during an in-person visit through the glass at Mecklenburg County Jail, Brown’s sister Tracy once again asked him why he had chosen Iryna. He replied: “Because I thought she was reading my thoughts.”
Family Blames the State
Brown’s sister, Tracy, insisted that her brother should never have been free and accused authorities of ignoring repeated pleas for help.
“He wasn’t safe for society. He tried to get treatment, he asked for help. He wasn’t in his right mind, and the state failed him,” she said.
According to Tracy, Decarlos sought medical assistance multiple times, but doctors discharged him within 24 hours, despite clear signs of a severe mental disorder.
