The sleeping subway passenger who was burned to death on the Brooklyn F train dreamed of becoming a flight attendant and was known for his “million dollar smile,” according to his high school yearbook biography. It is said that he was
Debrina Khawam, known as “Debbie” or “Deb” to her classmates, graduated from Passaic Valley Regional School in Little Falls, New Jersey in 1985. The New York Times reported.
Khawam, 57, has since fallen on hard times. Officials say she lived at a homeless shelter in New York City from September to December 2.
Her horrific death shocked the city and the nation.
Sebastian Zapeta Khalil, an undocumented Guatemalan immigrant, is accused of starting a fire on the F train at the Stillwell Avenue Coney Island station around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 22.
According to the video, she was asleep on the train when it was set on fire.
Khawam, a Toms River native, said her fondest memories of public school were participating in cheerleading as a freshman and sophomore, and her secret ambition was to “party forever.”
She concluded her biography by thanking her parents “for everything.”
According to the newspaper, Khawam was one of three students to win the top prizes of “million dollar smile” and “most punk.”
Khawam's body was identified through fingerprints more than a week after the horrific tragedy.
Zapeta Khalil, 33, who was deported in 2018 but secretly returned to the United States, was charged on Dec. 27 with first- and second-degree murder and one count of arson.
He claimed he was drunk and had no recollection of the attack.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Zapeta Khalil could face life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of the top charge of first-degree murder.
“This is the most serious statute in New York state law, and my office is extremely confident in the evidence in this case and in our ability to hold Mr. Zapeta accountable for his despicable conduct,” Gonzalez said. said.
Olga Korpion, a Toms River resident who had bought the house where Khawam's mother once lived, said she met Debrina shortly after Korpion moved into the neighborhood in May.
“She said, 'Hello, my name is Debrina, and I want to go see my mom.' My mom lives here, and I want to talk to her,” Corpion said. he told the Post.
“She looked like she was in her 50s and I immediately assumed she was unwell because I didn’t know her mother had moved away.
“I'm shocked to see her standing here and then knowing that she died so tragically.”
