The victim of a horrific arson attack on a Brooklyn F train has been identified as 61-year-old Debrina Kawam, a New Jersey resident, police confirmed on Tuesday. Kawam was sleeping on the train at the Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island station around 7:30 a.m. on December 22 when she was set ablaze.
Authorities have charged 33-year-old Guatemalan national Sebastian Zapeta-Calil with first-degree murder in connection to the incident. Video footage reportedly shows Zapeta-Calil fanning the flames as Kawam was engulfed, then sitting calmly on a platform bench watching the aftermath.
Background on the Victim
Kawam, who had been living in New York City shelters since September, was last registered at the Franklin Williams Women’s Shelter in the Bronx. However, she left the facility on December 2.
Sources indicate that Kawam was alive when the attack occurred, with personal items like a walker and bags nearby. Due to the severity of her burns, the medical examiner identified her through fingerprints.
Details of the Suspect
Zapeta-Calil, who has been held at Rikers Island without bail, has a history of illegal entry into the United States. Immigration officials revealed that he initially entered the country in 2018 but was deported within days. He later re-entered and was living in a New York City shelter by March 2023.
Fellow shelter residents described Zapeta-Calil as a heavy drinker and frequent user of synthetic drugs like K2, which often led to erratic behavior. One resident, Raymond Robinson, expressed disbelief at the incident, stating that while Zapeta-Calil exhibited bizarre behavior when intoxicated, he had never been violent before.
Zapeta-Calil reportedly told authorities he was too intoxicated to recall setting the fire. Witness accounts detail his frequent consumption of inexpensive vodka and erratic episodes linked to drug use.
The case has drawn attention to issues surrounding mental health, substance abuse, and immigration enforcement within the city’s shelter system.
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