Weeks after the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, the suspect’s mother has broken her silence, sharing a heartbreaking account of her son’s struggle with mental illness and a system that failed him.
Michelle Dewitt, mother of Decarlos Brown Jr., revealed to ABC News and The New York Post that her son’s mental health declined after his 2020 release from prison. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Brown refused medication and became increasingly volatile.
Fearing for their safety, Dewitt and her husband took the difficult step of leaving him at a Charlotte shelter, hoping he’d get help. But she says the system offered little support.
“When you bring someone to mental health services and they say, ‘Is he trying to hurt himself or someone else?’ and I say no, they tell you there’s nothing they can do without a court order,” Dewitt explained.
Brown was most recently arrested in January but was released on a “written promise” to appear in court. Dewitt now believes he suffered a psychotic episode before the attack.
The tragedy struck on August 22, 2025, when police found Zarutska fatally stabbed on Camden Road in Charlotte. Brown sustained minor injuries and remains under hospital guard. He faces first-degree murder charges.
Zarutska’s family, devastated by her death, described her as a young woman who had escaped the trauma of war in Ukraine only to lose her life in the country she thought would keep her safe.
