International-News

Woman set on fire in New York subway, Zapeta indicted for murder and arson

The Guatemalan man, accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire in the New York City subway, has been indicted by a jury in Brooklyn

Sebastian Zapeta, the man accused of killing a woman while she slept on a New York City subway car, was indicted today by a grand jury for murder and arson. Zapeta, 33, was not present at the brief hearing held in a Brooklyn courthouse, several media outlets reported.

Grand jury indictments and details of the incident

The grand jury charged Zapeta with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and one count of first-degree arson, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Earlier this week, Zapeta had been charged in a criminal complaint in Brooklyn Criminal Court with the same offenses. Gonzalez expressed confidence in the evidence gathered and his office’s ability to hold Zapeta accountable for this “malicious” act against a vulnerable woman.

Details about the accused and the circumstances of the murder

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that Zapeta is a Guatemalan national who entered the country illegally and that deportation proceedings will be initiated against him. According to police, the man was living in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn.

According to police reports, on Sunday Zapeta used a lighter to set fire to the clothes of a woman who was resting on an F train stopped at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station. He then used waving a shirt to fuel the fire until the woman was engulfed in flames. The woman died instantly from smoke inhalation and the burns she suffered, according to the city medical examiner’s office. The victim has not yet been identified.