The accused Charlotte, North Carolina, train killer's mother told a media outlet that she was turned away when seeking help for her schizophrenic son.
The Justice Department on Tuesday charged Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, with causing death on a mass transportation system last month when he allegedly stabbed 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska.
Brown had cycled through the criminal justice system for more than a decade, court records show.
Brown's mother, Michelle Dewitt, told the New York Post that Brown should have been imprisoned or institutionalized due to the deterioration of his mental health.
"He shouldn't have been released," the 51-year-old Dewitt told the Post of Brown being free on a "written promise" to appear for a court date after his latest arrest in January.
Dewitt also said she had taken Brown, who had grown increasingly aggressive with both her and her husband, to a homeless shelter just days before the horrific stabbing of Zarutska.
"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 told the Post on Wednesday.
Dewitt said she planned to visit her jailed son this week.
"I'll let him talk, just listen," she said. "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 Brown on the phone about the murder, and that he 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,'" Dewitt said.
Brown told his sister that he stabbed Zarutska because he believed the young woman was reading his mind, CNN reported.
Dewitt denied claims that Brown allegedly attacked Zarutska because she was white, although surveillance video seemed to show the attacker saying, "I got that white girl."
Brown was "definitely not racist," and he "dated all kinds of girls," Dewitt said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.