A woman accused of setting fire to a sleeping person has pleaded not guilty.
In New York City, a Guatemalan national stands accused of both murder and arson.
On Tuesday, Sebastian Zapeta, a Guatemalan man accused of setting fire to a sleeping subway rider and watching her burn to death on a Brooklyn subway car, entered a not guilty plea to murder and arson charges.
A 33-year-old was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and arson.
During the 4-minute hearing, Zapeta listened through an interpreter without speaking. Afterward, his lawyer stated that his client required medical attention, but further information was not immediately provided.
In 2018, Zapeta entered the U.S. illegally, according to authorities. He was later deported and returned to the country at an unknown time.
On Dec. 22, he allegedly set the woman on fire while she slept on a subway bench in New York.
Debrina Kawam, a 57-year-old from Toms River, New Jersey, was so badly burned that it took over a week to identify her remains.
The attack surveillance video was so distorted that Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, couldn't finish watching it.
At the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn, Kawam was sitting alone, appearing to be asleep, on a stopped F train.
"During a news briefing, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated that as the train arrived at the station, the suspect walked up to the victim and set their clothing on fire with a lighter. The victim's clothing quickly caught fire and burned rapidly."
The man walked away from the car and sat on a nearby bench, waiting for help to arrive. Officers were already at the station, and a transit worker retrieved a fire extinguisher. Tisch stated that the suspect was captured on bodycam video.
At the next stop, the suspect was taken into custody after three teenagers on another subway train recognized him from a wanted poster and called 911.
If convicted, Zapeta could receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The NYPD announced a decrease in overall crime and an increase in arrests for 2024, but there was a doubling of homicides on the subway system compared to the previous year.
Zapeta is due back in court on March 12.
Planet Chronicle' Greg Wehner and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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