A homeless woman was tragically killed in a fire set in a Brooklyn subway station. Authorities identified the victim as Debrina Kawam. Sebastián Zapeta, the suspect, has been charged with murder and arson.
Prosecutors claimed Sebastián Zapeta used a lighter to start the fire and then used his shirt to fan the flames. It took nine days to identify Debrina Kawam, 57, of Toms River, New Jersey, after she burned to death in Brooklyn on 22 December, horrifying New Yorkers and renewing a debate over city safety, has been identified as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, of Toms River, New Jersey. The victim’s identity, released by the New York police department, came nine days after the fatal incident.
Investigators had previously said they were using forensics and video surveillance to identify the victim. Eric Adams, the New York City mayor, said Tuesday that Kawam had a “brief stint in our homeless shelter system” and that authorities had been in contact with her next of kin. He did not say when Kawam was in the homeless system. The man accused of lighting her on fire, Sebastián Zapeta, was taken into custody hours after police disseminated images of a suspect in the woman’s death. He has since been indicted on murder and arson charges and is expected to appear in court next week.Prosecutors said Zapeta, a Guatelamalan immigrant, set fire to Kawam, who is believed to have been homeless, while she was sleeping inside a train car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn. Prosecutors said he used a lighter to start the fire and then used his shirt to fan the flames. Zapeta, who did not appear to know the victim, is facing one first-degree murder charge, three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson. “These are significant counts. Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole
Murder Arson Homicide Subway Homelessness
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