NEW YORK (NewsNation) — The man accused of burning a woman alive while she was asleep on a New York City subway is set to be arraigned Tuesday on murder and arson charges.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, will appear in a Brooklyn courtroom around 9:30 a.m. local time.
Authorities plan to unseal the indictment Tuesday following his court appearance.
NYPD identifies the victim as Debrina Kawam
Zapeta-Calil is accused of using a lighter to set a woman’s clothes on fire while she was asleep on a stopped F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 22.
Prosecutors say Zapeta-Calil intensified the blaze by fanning it with a shirt before sitting on a platform bench and watching as she burned to death.
Officers at the station reportedly smelled and saw smoke and observed the victim in the train car fully engulfed in flames, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The fire was extinguished, and the woman was pronounced dead.
The victim was identified as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, according to the New York Police Department.
Zapeta-Calil was arrested on Dec. 23, after being taken into custody the previous day. He’s charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and arson.
According to police, there is no connection or prior interaction between the suspect and the victim, though the indictment, set to be released later Tuesday, may reveal additional details.
Defense may seek insanity plea: Source
Immigration officials say Zapeta-Calil, who is from Guatemala, had been deported in 2018 and didn’t have permission to be in the U.S.
Zapeta-Calil is currently being held at Brooklyn Central Brooking. It is unclear when and where Zapeta reentered the U.S.
A source familiar with the investigation told NewsNation that his attorneys are seeking a psychological evaluation, potentially gearing up for a possible insanity defense.
