The man accused of fatally stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train has spoken publicly for the first time from jail, offering an explanation that family members and officials rejected as baseless.
Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., 34, is charged with first-degree murder in the Aug. 22 killing, which was captured on surveillance video on the Lynx Blue Line.
Possible motive
In audio published by the Daily Mail, Brown told his sister that he was not in control of his actions and claimed “materials” allegedly implanted by the government “used” his body to stab the victim.
Pressed on why Zarutska was targeted, Brown said only that the “materials” “lashed out on her,” according to the recording.
🚨BREAKING: Decarlos Brown Jr. speaks from jail for the first time since the brutal murder of Iryna Zarutska.
He claims the government implanted “materials” in his body that made him commit the horrific crime.
“The material. Put it like that. The material using my body. It’s… pic.twitter.com/SxKNqbpNe5
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 10, 2025
Additional footage circulating online appears to capture a man saying, “I