BROOKLYN, NY — An illegal alien has been arraigned on first-degree murder charges after allegedly setting a woman on fire as she slept inside a subway car in Coney Island last month, then fanning the flames with a shirt as she burned, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who lived in an East New York shelter, is accused of killing 47-year-old Debrina Kawam in what Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez described as a “heinous and inhumane act.” Zapeta, arraigned Tuesday before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun, is charged with first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and first-degree arson.
He is being held without bail and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole if convicted.
Zapeta is an illegal immigrant.
According to investigators, the incident occurred on December 22, 2024, at approximately 7:25 a.m., as the F train reached the Stillwell Avenue Station in Coney Island. Surveillance footage allegedly shows Zapeta using a lighter to ignite fabric covering Kawam, who was asleep on the train. Zapeta reportedly fanned the flames with a shirt, causing the fire to engulf the victim, before watching from a nearby platform bench and walking away.
Police quickly identified Zapeta through surveillance footage and distributed his image. Hours later, after a tip from a member of the public, he was apprehended near the Herald Square-34th Street subway station in Manhattan.
Kawam, originally from Toms River, New Jersey, was pronounced dead at the scene. The city’s medical examiner determined her cause of death to be heat burns and smoke inhalation. She was identified nine days later due to the severity of her injuries.
Senior Assistant District Attorney Matthew Perry is prosecuting the case, which is being supervised by Homicide Bureau Chief Leila Rosini.
Toms River Mayor Dan Rodrick is calling for New York and New Jersey to reinstate the death penalty to deter such heinous and violent acts against innocent victims.
