NEW YORK At his arraignment on murder charges on Tuesday, the prosecutor claimed that the guy who is suspected of killing a lady by burning her inside a subway train in New York City used a shirt to fan the flames.
The 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, who was identified by federal immigration officials as a Guatemalan national who entered the country illegally, did not enter a plea and remained silent during the Brooklyn criminal court session.
Zapeta will stay in jail and is scheduled to return to court on Friday. He is dressed in a white jumpsuit over a faded black hooded sweatshirt. Bail was not requested by his attorney.
Zapeta faces two murder charges, claiming that he killed the woman on purpose and that he killed her while setting fire to her home. He faces one count of arson as well. The maximum penalty for the most serious charge is life in prison without the possibility of release.
Eric Gonzalez, the district attorney for Brooklyn, described the incident as a horrific and mindless act of violence and warned that it will have the worst possible repercussions.
The attack on a F train that was stopped at the Coney Island station on Sunday morning appeared to be random. The victim’s identity is still pending, according to police on Tuesday.
Zapeta allegedly went over to the woman, who might have been dozing off on the train, and used a lighter to burn her clothes.
Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg stated in court on Tuesday that Zapeta then spread the fire with a garment, enveloping her in flames.
According to authorities, Zapeta then observed from a bench on the subway platform.
Rottenberg claims that although Zapeta recognized himself in photos of the incident, he claimed investigators he had no idea what had transpired.
Following the arraignment, Ed Friedman, Zapeta’s attorney, remained silent with reporters.
Social media footage seems to show at least one police officer passing by and some onlookers on the platform while the woman is burning inside the train.
Several cops reacted to the incident, and one remained to maintain the crime scene as it should be while the others went to gather transit personnel and fire extinguishers, according to NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta on Sunday.
Officers on patrol on a higher floor of the station proceeded to investigate after smelling and seeing smoke. According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, they observed a person standing inside the train car completely enveloped in flames.
The victim was declared dead at the spot after they had extinguished the fire, but Tisch said it was too late.
Teenagers recognized Zapeta from police-circulated photos, and he was arrested Sunday afternoon while traveling by train on the same subway line.
Police have revealed a Brooklyn address for Zapeta, which corresponds to a shelter that offers both lodging and assistance with substance misuse. A request for comment was not immediately answered by the shelter.
Zapeta was deported in 2018, according to federal immigration officials, but he later entered the country illegally.
The incident exacerbated a growing concern among some New Yorkers regarding the subway system’s safety, which was heightened by the attack’s violent video that went viral on social media.
In general, there is less criminality in the transit system than there was a year ago.
According to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, major offenses decreased by 6% from January to November when compared to the same period the previous year. However, there have been nine homicides so far this year through November, up from five at the same time previous year.
A Manhattan jury cleared former Marine Daniel Penny earlier this month of any involvement in the chokehold death of a distraught subway passenger last year. The case became a flashpoint in debates over safety, homelessness and mental illness on the system.
Policing the subway is difficult, given the vast network of trains moving between 472 stations. Each stop contains multiple entry points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms.
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