The illegal migrant accused of setting a sleeping woman on fire inside a New York subway car has pleaded not guilty.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, appeared in court in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning in an orange jumpsuit as he was arraigned on the murder and arson charges relating to the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57.
Prosecutors say Zapeta set the New Jersey woman on fire on a stopped train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station on December 22.
Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on platform bench and watching as Kawam burned, they allege.
The court hearing lasted just five minutes, with the next court date set for March 12.
Law enforcement sources told The New York Post after his arrest for the killing that he claimed he was drunk and no recollection of the incident.
The footage of the moments after Kawam was set on fire went viral as it showed an NYPD officer walking past the fire while a man, allegedly Zepeta, watched on.
Zapeta appears in Kings County Supreme Court for an arraignment, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in New York
Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on platform bench and watching as Kawam, seen here, burned
NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told a press conference that officers who responded were not aware the suspect was on the scene at the time.
Hours later, the NYPD released images of the suspect, showing him watching his victim burning to death before he casually walks away from the scene.
Zapeta eventually boarded the subway later in the day, and he was arrested after he was flagged by high schoolers who recognized him from the images.
ICE officials said Zapeta entered the US illegally from Guatemala in 2018 and was deported, but re-entered the country at some point after.
The incident quickly became part of the national debate over the dramatic rise in crimes being committed by illegal immigrants in the United States.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams came out after Zepeta’s arrest to call for federal prosecutors to charge him alongside state charges.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil is shown sitting on a subway bench watching as the woman he set fire to burns alive
‘Lighting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,’ he said in a statement.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez countered that he wanted the case to stay under state jurisdiction.
‘Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole,’ he said, pointing out that was ‘more significant in state court than currently in federal court.’
‘We believe very strongly that this case belongs in the state court,’ he said. ‘We have a very strong working relationship with our federal partners and of course we will always do what is in the best interests’ of the case.
