Mother of Accused Stabber Voices Concerns
The mother of 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, expressed her fears about her son potentially being released into the community during an interview with WSOC-TV. She stated, quite emphatically, that the court should not allow him to return to society.
Footage from the Charlotte Area Transit System captured Brown stabbing Zarutska shortly after she boarded the bus on August 22. In her conversation with WSOC-TV, Brown’s mother conveyed her disappointment in the system for failing her son, suggesting it had left him on the streets despite his troubling past. “What he did was violent. It was horrifying, it was wrong,” she said.
Prior to this incident, Brown had served five years for armed robbery. His mother recounted that after he was released, he began to exhibit unusual and concerning behavior. This caused her to seek help, leading to an unwilling commitment order from the court due to his increasingly aggressive demeanor. After a couple of weeks under psychiatric care, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
After his release, Brown’s behavior didn’t improve, prompting his mother to throw him out. While on the streets, he was arrested in January for misusing the 911 system, claiming he was under some sort of control regarding his actions.
North Carolina Magistrate Judge Teresa Stokes ultimately released Brown on January 21. Reports indicate that during 2024, he had interacted with the community policing team from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department multiple times, who were trying to assist him.
In a chilling turn of events, video evidence shows Zarutska boarding the bus and sitting near Brown, who was already present. The police stated that he pulled out a pocket knife, stabbing her three times.
Following the attack, witnesses saw Brown walking along the railway. Tragically, Zarutska was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Former President Donald Trump commented on the incident, referring to a video of the attack and criticizing the criminal justice system for allowing Brown to be free despite his history. He expressed outrage that such a known criminal was on the streets.
