Man accused of burning woman to death on a subway train is set to be arraigned
NEW YORK– The man is accused of burning a sleeping woman dead on a New York City subway train will be charged Tuesday with murder and arson.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, will appear in Brooklyn court in connection with the murder of Debrina Kawam57.
Prosecutors say Zapeta set the New Jersey resident on fire on December 22 on a stationary F train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station. Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on the platform bench and watching Kawam burn, they allege.
Prosecutors say Zapeta confirmed to police that he was the man in surveillance photos and videos of the fire, but said he drinks a lot of alcohol and doesn’t remember what happened.
Zapeta, a Guatemalan national who authorities say entered the country illegally after being deported in 2018, faces multiple murder charges and an arson charge. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.
He was previously charged on a criminal complaint, but in New York, all felony cases require a grand jury indictment to proceed to trial unless a suspect waives that requirement.
Prosecutors from Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s office announced in late December that Zapeta had been charged.
Zapeta’s attorney did not respond to an email seeking comment Monday evening.
The murder has renewed discussion about safety in the country’s largest public transportation system, and about crime on the subway remains relatively rare.
Transit crime fell for the second year in a row, down 5.4% last year compared to 2023, according to data released by the police Monday also revealed that the number of major crimes fell by 3% across the city.
Still, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a Monday press conference discussing the statistics that motorcyclists simply “don’t feel safe.”
In response, she said the department will put more than 200 officers on the subway and deploy more officers to the subway platforms in the 50 stations with the highest crime rates in the city.
“We know that 78% of transit crime happens on trains and on platforms, and that is very clear where our officers need to be,” Tisch said. “This is just the beginning.”