OAN Staff James Myers
9:53am – Friday, December 27, 2024
An undocumented immigrant accused of starting a fire inside a Brooklyn subway train and setting a sleeping woman on fire was formally charged in court Friday morning with murder and arson.
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Sebastián Zapeta-Caril, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, waived court after being charged with first- and second-degree murder and one count of arson in Sunday's gruesome killing aboard the F train.
The first-degree murder charge carries a possible sentence of life in prison without parole.
Officials say the suspected killer, who has not yet been identified, is said to have approached the sleeping woman and set her clothes on fire, with social media postings that the suspected killer fanned the flames. A video has been posted showing him getting his girlfriend involved.
He then exited the subway and sat on a bench on the platform, as captured on a responding officer's body camera.
The image was then made available to the public as a flyer. A few hours later, three high school students spotted him on the subway, called 911, and arrested him.
Meanwhile, Zapeta Khalil is scheduled to be formally arraigned in state Supreme Court on January 7th.thwhere the entire indictment is unsealed.
The suspect, who was described by friends at the homeless shelter as a heavy drinker, also told police that he was drunk the morning of the incident and did not remember what happened.
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