Man Charged with Burning Woman to Death on NYC Subway Train Scheduled for Arraignment

January 7, 2025 TruthUSA

NEW YORK—A man who allegedly set a sleeping woman on fire inside a New York City subway train is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday facing charges of murder and arson.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, is set to appear in Brooklyn court regarding the death of Debrina Kawam, 57.

According to prosecutors, Zapeta ignited the New Jersey native while she was resting on a stationary F train at Coney Island station in Brooklyn on December 22. They allege he then used a shirt to fan the flames before taking a seat on a platform bench and watching as Kawam burned.

Prosecutors state that Zapeta acknowledged to police that he appeared in the surveillance footage, but claimed he frequently drinks alcohol and could not remember the incident.

Zapeta, a Guatemalan citizen, reportedly entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. He faces multiple counts of murder along with an arson charge, with the most serious charge carrying a potential life sentence without parole.

While he was previously arraigned on a criminal complaint, all felony cases in New York require a grand jury indictment to move forward to trial unless waived by the defendant.