The sister of the suspect accused of stabbing a Ukrainian refugee has revealed the disturbing comments he told her about the attack.
Decarlos Brown Jr. is currently in police custody after allegedly stabbing and killing a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska.
The attack happened last month while they were on a train in North Carolina - the pair did not know each other before the incident.
Video footage of the attack was captured and appeared to show Brown sitting behind Zarutska before allegedly pulling a knife and stabbing her several times.
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34-year-old Brown has been charged with first-degree murder over the unprovoked attack and also faced federal charges.
His sister, Tracey Brown, has spoken with her brother over the phone and revealed his disturbing recollection of the event.
Audio from the conversation has Brown tell Tracey that he believes the government planted foreign ‘materials’ in his body and ultimately took control of his actions.
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He said: “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?
“I feel like the material used in my body stabbed the lady.
“You know, that is not me, I'm talking just for no reason? But since they did that, now they got to investigate the materials in my body exposed to.”
His sister then questioned why Zarutska was targeted specifically, being that she was a refugee from Ukraine.
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He replied in the third person saying ‘they just lashed out at her’. He clarified that whoever was ‘working on the materials in his body’ lashed out at Zarutska.
His sister also asked where he was going on the journey before the attack and Brown said he was going to the hospital to tell them get rid of the material to ‘stop going crazy’.
Tracy also spoke to the Daily Mail about her brother’s mental health after visiting him in person.
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She said that she doesn’t believe her brother should have been on the streets and recounted missed opportunities from the North Carolina state officials, claiming she had tried to get her brother admitted to hospital several times over the years due to deteriorating mental health but that he was often released after 24 hours.
She said: “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.
“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.
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“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.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.
Gerrard Kaonga