💥 EXCLUSIVE: Sister of North Carolina train incident individual reveals he had been “hearing voices” and became convinced the young woman aboard the train was “reading his mind.”
In a shocking new detail, family members say his behavior had grown increasingly erratic in the weeks leading up to the event — a side of the story no one had seen before, leaving the community in stunned disbelief.

Sister Claims N.C. Murder Suspect Was ‘Hearing Voices’ and Believed Victim Aboard Train Was ‘Reading His Mind’

Decarlos Brown Jr. has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Iryna Zarutska

Decarlos Brown Jr.

Decarlos Brown Jr.Credit : 

Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s office

NEED TO KNOW

Family members of murder suspect Decarlos Brown Jr. say he was “hearing voices” in his head prior to allegedly attacking a woman on a Charlotte, North Carolina train last month
Brown is charged with the first-degree murder of Ukrainian refuge Iryna Zarutska on Aug. 22
Brown’s sister told CNN her brother said he believed Zarutska was “reading his mind” before the attack

The family of Decarlos Brown Jr., the man accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refuge Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte, N.C., light rail train in August, says the murder suspect was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and was “hearing voices” in his head prior to the attack.

Brown’s sister, Tracey Brown, said her brother had believed Zarutska was “reading his mind” prior to the sudden attack, according to a new CNN report.

“A person that is hearing voices in their head and believes the world is against them, they’re going to break,” Brown’s sister told CNN. “And I think that night he broke.”

Surveillance footage showed the suspect alleged to be Brown sitting behind Zarutska on a LYNX Blue Line train shortly before 10 p.m. on Aug. 22. Moments later, the video appears to show him take a knife from his pocket, lunge over the seat, and stab Zarutska three times before walking away as the 23-year-old lay dying on the floor.

Brown, 34, was arrested six days later and charged with first-degree murder. Since then, the incident has become a political flashpoint on criminal justice policy and mental health.

Iryna Zarutska murder

Security footage shared by the Charlotte Area Transit System.Charlotte Area Transit System

Brown’s criminal history dates back to 2007, according to WBTV. The outlet reported that he was convicted on charges of robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon in 2014 and served just over five years in prison before being released and placed on parole in September 2020.

His most recent arrest was in January, when officers charged him with misusing 911. He spent two days in jail before a judge released him on a written promise to appear in court, WBTV reported. Brown’s public defender, however, questioned whether he had the mental capacity to understand and follow through with the request.

Iryna Zarutska

Iryna Zarutska.Iryna Zarutska/instagram

Brown’s sister told CNN that he “didn’t seem like himself” after he was released from prison in 2020.

Tracey told CNN her brother had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and had suffered hallucinations, as well as paranoia.

Their mother agreed, adding in a separate interview  with WSOC-TV that she also noticed her son had changed after he came back from prison. “He started saying weird things,” the mother told the outlet. “He started saying that he wasn’t in his body.”

Decarlos Brown Jr.

Decarlos Brown Jr.Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office

Brown’s mother said her son became more and more aggressive over time, getting to the point that she had to kick him out of her house over concerns about her safety.

Brown’s mother said he has dealt with mental health issues for years and added that she believes the murder could have been prevented if he was properly treated by state officials who took him into their custody for several years without a successful mental health intervention.

“The system failed him,” Brown’s mother told WSOC-TV, as she lamented what her son did to Zarutska last month.

“My heart goes out to the victim’s family,” the mother said. “What he did was atrocious. It was horrible. It was wrong.”

Brown is due back in court on Friday, Sept. 19.