Debrina Kawam, 57, was killed when a man intentionally set fire to her on a NYC subway train. The suspect, Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, has been indicted on murder and arson charges.
The woman killed when a man intentionally set fire to her while she was sleeping on a New York City subway train earlier this month has been identified as Debrina Kawam , police said. The 57-year-old woman resided in New Jersey, the New York Police Department told CNN. Police initially said Kawam was 61. The New York City Office of the Medical Examiner determined the woman died by homicide caused by thermal injuries and smoke inhalation, according to a complaint filed in Brooklyn Criminal Court.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old undocumented migrant accused of killing Kawam, was indicted Friday on charges of first- and second-degree murder and arson. He has yet to enter a plea and is due to be arraigned January 7. During his initial court appearance, Zapeta-Calil claimed to have no knowledge of the incident, noting his alcohol consumption. Zapeta-Calil did identify himself in photos related to the attack, said Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg. CNN has reached out to Zapeta-Calil’s attorney for comment. Police say Zapeta-Calil calmly walked up to Kawam on the morning of December 22, as she was sleeping on an F train approaching the Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, and used a lighter to ignite her clothes and the blanket that was wrapped around her. Kawam had a “brief stint” in the city’s shelter system and officials have spoken to her next of kin, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday at a news conference. “People should not be living on our subway system. They should be in a place of care,” Adams told CNN’s Mark Morales. “And no matter where she lived, that should not have happened.” Authorities took over a week to publicly identify Kawam. Investigators were using advanced fingerprinting and DNA evidence to try to identify her “badly burned” body, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said last week
NYC Subway Fire Homicide Arson Sebastian Zapeta-Calil Debrina Kawam
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