Newly released bodycam footage has shed light on the disturbing claims made by Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in the murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail. The footage, released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), reveals Brown’s bizarre and disturbing assertions that a ‘man-made material’ had been placed inside his body, allegedly controlling his actions without his consent. These claims came months before the August incident, during a welfare check conducted by police in January.
During the encounter, Brown called 911 himself to report the ‘man-made material’ inside his body, which he claimed was affecting his bodily functions, including his diet and behavior. One officer, visibly perplexed, questioned him, asking, ‘You think you got somebody inside controlling you?’ Brown responded by insisting that the material had been placed inside him without his ‘permission or authorization,’ a claim that has raised questions about his mental state and potential manipulation.
Despite the alarming nature of Brown’s claims, the CMPD decided not to initiate an involuntary commitment, as he did not express any intent to harm himself or others during the interaction. Officers advised him to seek medical evaluation at a hospital and even allowed him to place a second 911 call for assistance before arresting him for misuse of the 911 system. Brown, however, maintained that the doctors who had previously diagnosed him with schizophrenia had ‘got it wrong,’ asserting that he was ‘mentally perfect.’ This assertion seems to contradict his extensive criminal history, which includes multiple convictions for larceny, breaking and entering, and armed robbery, with a five-year prison sentence that he began in 2015.
The incident has also drawn attention to the broader context of mental health treatment and criminal responsibility. While Brown’s legal team has suggested that he might have suffered from a severe mental illness that was misdiagnosed, the prosecution has argued that his actions were deliberate and unprovoked. The CMPD has described the August stabbing as an unprovoked act, further complicating the understanding of Brown’s psychological state at the time of the incident.
In the wake of the murder, Brown’s brother has expressed that the killing could have been ‘prevented’ if the police had taken his concerns more seriously. This has led to renewed calls for better mental health screening and more aggressive monitoring of individuals with a history of violence, especially those with complex psychiatric histories. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen whether Brown’s bizarre claims about the ‘man-made material’ will hold any significance in his legal proceedings or if they will be dismissed as delusional.