CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The anguished mother of accused Charlotte train killer Decarlos Brown Jr. said she tried to get her schizophrenic son help — but was turned away.
In an exclusive interview with The Post, Michelle Dewitt also asserted that he should never have been walking free as his mental health was rapidly deteriorating.
“He shouldn’t have been released,” Dewitt, 51, said of him being free on a “written promise” to appear for a court date after his latest arrest in January.
Michelle DeWitt, mother of DeCarlos Brown Jr., says he was ”too aggressive.” Christopher Oquendo for NYPostDewitt said she had taken her son to a homeless shelter just days before the barbaric, caught-on-camera stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska — and that he had grown increasingly aggressive with both her and her husband.
She batted down claims that Brown allegedly attacked Zarutska because she was white, saying he was “definitely not racist” and that he “dated all kinds of girls.”
Iryna Zarutska’s family demanded justice for the murdered 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee in a statement released Tuesday. jamesfuneralhomelkn.com
Zarutska was stabbed to death, allegedly by repeat offender Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, in a horrifying, caught-on-camera killing in Charlotte. Charlotte CATS“I think Carlos had an episode,” Dewitt added, referring to the motive behind the shocking attack.
Brown, 34, was hit with federal charges on Tuesday, while President Trump called for the death penalty in the case.
Follow the latest on the shocking murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte:
- Madman accused of slaughtering Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte train raves at judge as he’s ruled not fit for trial — a second time
- Trump admin vows Iryna Zarutska’s accused killer will face justice after he’s found mentally incompetent to stand trial
- Mayor calls mural of Ukrainian refugee ‘divisive’ after train stabbing death
- Murdered Ukrainian refugee’s mom breaks down during SOTU as Trump rips Dems: ‘How do you not stand?’
“The ANIMAL who so violently killed the beautiful young lady from Ukraine, who came to America searching for peace and safety, should be given a ‘Quick’ (there is no doubt!) Trial, and only awarded THE DEATH PENALTY,” the president posted on Truth Social.
Decarlos Brown Jr., charged by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in the Aug. 22, 2025, death of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, poses in an undated jail booking photograph taken in Charlotte, North Carolina. via REUTERSWhen asked her reaction to Trump’s comments, Dewitt shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“I think it’s political,” she said.
“Once they find out that Carlos has been on medications and how the system failed him, I don’t believe that is going to happen. Donald Trump can’t change all the rules.”
“No family should have to go through this,” Zarutska’s heartbroken loved ones said of her death. Instagram/ Iryna ZarutskaDespite efforts to get her son help, Dewitt said, she encountered resistance along the way.
“When you bring a person to mental health, and [they] tell you ‘We don’t have enough space’ or ‘Is he trying to kill himself or someone else?’ and I say no, then there is nothing we can do, you need to get a court order,” she said outside her home Wednesday.
Dewitt said she plans to visit Brown in jail later this week.
“I’ll let him talk, just listen. I’ll try to explain to him what’s going on. I don’t think he understands what’s happening.”
She said she spoke to him on the phone about the murder after his arrest, and that Brown was convinced someone was “removing the chip from his brain” that had been controlling his actions and believed he’d be out soon.
“I think he misunderstood. He said, ‘Mama, I will see you later,'” she said.
