Man accused of setting woman on fire on NYC subway pleads not guilty

NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – A man accused of setting a woman on fire on the subway pleaded not guilty to murder charges in New York City Tuesday. 

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was charged with first- and second-degree murder and arson, court records show. He waived the right to his first court appearance last month and has been indicted by a grand jury on four counts of murder and arson.

According to a criminal complaint, Zapeta was allegedly caught on video setting fire to the woman’s clothing on an F train in Brooklyn, then fanning the flames by waving a shirt around her just before 7 a.m. on Dec. 22. 

The woman, identified by police as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, was asleep when the attack happened and was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the NYPD. She was so badly burned that police had said they might need to use dental records to identify her.

Zapeta entered the country unlawfully, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told PIX11 News. He had been removed from the U.S. to Guatemala in 2018 and returned illegally since then, the spokesperson said.