Charlotte Train Murder Suspect Believed Victim Was ‘Reading His Mind,’ Sister Claims

A Ukrainian refugee fatally stabbed aboard a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, was targeted by a man who claimed he believed she was reading his mind, according to the suspect’s family, as reported by The New York Post.

Authorities have identified the victim as 35-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who had fled Ukraine before settling in the United States. Police say she was killed by 32-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., who is now facing charges in connection with the attack.

This moment is REALLY tearing me up Iryna Zarutska had just enough time to realize her fate and looked to her right just to see complete APATHY.

She died alone with the feeling that no one cared. I don’t recognize this country anymore… https://t.co/uNWlvoXBvX pic.twitter.com/fmeYKmoRQh

— Xaviaer DuRousseau (@XAVIAERD) September 10, 2025

Brown’s sister, Tracey Brown, told CNN that her brother suffered from severe mental illness and had repeatedly expressed delusions that the government implanted a chip in him.

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

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Tracey revealed that her brother told relatives after the killing that he stabbed Zarutska because he thought she was reading his mind. She also disclosed her own history of being assaulted by him during a 2022 incident in which he bit her and broke a door.

Their mother said she had tried to have Brown placed in a long-term mental health facility but was unable to because she was not his legal guardian.

Tracey explained that Brown’s mental state worsened following his release from prison in 2022, where he had served a five-year sentence for armed robbery.

She ran from war in Ukraine. She came here for safety.

And America FAILED her.

23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was butchered on a Charlotte light rail, her throat cut open by a violent repeat offender who had been arrested 14 times and was STILL free.

This wasn’t random. This was… pic.twitter.com/woRCbMyioq

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 6, 2025

“He didn’t seem like himself,” Tracey said, describing his inability to hold normal conversations and his increasingly aggressive behavior. She added that he struggled to maintain employment after his release.

The Charlotte train killing has drawn attention not only for the brutal nature of the attack but also for concerns about untreated mental illness and the challenges families face when trying to secure long-term care for loved ones.

America will never forget you Iryna pic.twitter.com/NJI33x2b6X

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 10, 2025

Police have not yet disclosed whether additional psychiatric evaluations will be conducted as Brown’s case moves through the courts.

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