New York subway suspect pleads not guilty to murder charges

Man accused of murdering woman by setting it on fire while sleeping on a New York subway last month, she pleaded not guilty Tuesday to first-degree murder and other charges.

Suspect Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, who police say is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, appeared in Brooklyn Criminal Court and pleaded not guilty to one count of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson in the gruesome killing of Debrina Kawam, who According to police, she was homeless and sleeping in a subway car when she was attacked.

According to New York police, Kawam, 57, was from Toms River, New Jersey.

Kawam was sleeping on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Dec. 22 around 7:25 a.m. when she was allegedly set on fire by Zapeta-Calil, 33, who had stayed nearby to watch, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez , got burned and even fanned the flames.

“It is difficult to fathom what could compel someone to commit the monstrous and horrific murder of which the defendant is accused,” Gonzalez said in a statement issued after the agreement with Zapeta-Calil. “My office quickly received the indictment and we are determined to impose the harshest possible punishment for this heinous and inhumane act. Ms. Kawam and her loved ones deserve a measure of justice, and New Yorkers deserve to feel safe on the subway.”

If convicted of the charges, Kawam faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Surveillance video captured Zapeta-Calil riding the same subway car as the Queens victim, using what appeared to be a lighter to ignite the fabric covering the sleeping woman.

Evidence collected by investigators shows that Zapeta-Calil initially allegedly watched the woman burning from inside a subway car as the fire grew, Gonzalez said. The suspect then allegedly fanned the flames with his shirt, which completely engulfed the victim, the district attorney said.

Gonzalez alleged that Zapeta-Calil then exited the subway car, sat on a bench on the station platform and watched the woman burn.

Gonzalez said Kawam died at the scene and the medical examiner determined the cause of death was a combination of heat burns and smoke inhalation.

Gonzalez said Kawam was burned beyond recognition and it took the medical examiner nine days to identify her.

Using video footage, police officers quickly identified the suspect and distributed his photo to local media, which led to information that he was on an F train near the Herald Square-34th Steet station in Manhattan, Gonzalez said. Officers rushed to the station and detained Zapeta-Calil around 4 p.m. on the same day as the subway attack.

MORE: Police identify woman set on fire on New York subway

Kawam, known to her classmates as “Debbie,” grew up in Little Falls, New Jersey. She went to Montclair State University to study business and marketing and then worked for Merck for a while. In 2008, it declared bankruptcy.

According to clergy members who attended Zapeta-Calil’s hearing, family and friends are scheduled to gather on Jan. 12 for a memorial service held for Kawam at First Baptist Church in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.

The Rev. Kevin McCall, a civil rights activist in New York, said Brother Kawama initially planned to attend Tuesday’s court hearing but was unable to show up.

“The family is going through a difficult time. It is not known to the public,” McCall said at a Tuesday news conference outside the courthouse.

He said Kawam’s relatives and friends, as well as clergy from across the city representing many religions, said they planned to attend a service for Kawam “and remember this human being because his life mattered.”

“At the memorial, you will hear and see family and friends talking about her life and who she was,” McCall said, adding that clergy plan to start a GoFundMe campaign to help the family fulfill their desire to dedicate a plaque in Kawam’s memory.

McCall added that during Zapeta-Calil’s arraignment, “It occurred to me that he was a murderer.”

“This is someone who belongs in prison,” McCall said.

Zapeta-Calil was initially expelled from the United States back to Guatemala in June 2018 after U.S. Border Patrol encountered him in Sonoita, Arizona, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. A spokesman said he entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and place.

New York subway suspect pleads not guilty to murder charges originally appeared abcnews.go.com