CHARLOTTE – Mother’s Distress Over Train Murder by Her Son

Michelle DeWitt, the mother of Dacaros Brown Jr., the man accused of murdering in Charlotte, expressed her sorrow over her son’s struggles with mental health. She recounted how he had turned away from her efforts to seek help for his schizophrenia.

In an interview, DeWitt, 51, shared her own difficulties, stating that her mental health was rapidly declining and leaving her feeling trapped. “He shouldn’t have been released,” she remarked, referring to her son’s previous arrest in January, after which he was given a written promise to appear in court.

DeWitt mentioned that just days before the tragic incident where Brown was accused of stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Irina Zaltoska, she had taken him to a homeless shelter.

She defended her son’s character, asserting that he wasn’t racist and had dated women of various backgrounds.

Despite her attempts to help him, DeWitt faced challenges when trying to get her son treated. “When you bring people to mental health, they say, ‘We don’t have enough space.’ I tried to explain that he wasn’t a danger to himself. They told me to get a court order,” she said, reflecting on the barriers she encountered.

DeWitt plans to visit Brown in prison this week, aiming to listen to him and help him understand the gravity of the situation. She recounted a phone call after his arrest in which he mentioned trying to “remove chips from his brain” that he believed controlled him.

“I think he misunderstood. He said, ‘Mom, I’ll see you later,’” DeWitt recalled, hinting at her son’s state of mind.