Sebastian Zapeta, the Guatemalan man accused of setting a sleeping subway passenger on fire and watching her burn to death in a Brooklyn subway car, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and arson charges. .
The 33-year-old was charged with one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and arson.
Zapeta spoke through an interpreter and did not speak during the four-minute hearing. His lawyer concluded by saying his client needed medical treatment, but no further details were immediately available.
Authorities say Zapeta entered the United States illegally in 2018. He was deported and returned home at an unknown time.
NYPD arrests immigrant who set woman on fire on subway and watched her burn to death
Sebastian Zapeta is arrested on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. Zapeta is charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting Debrina Khawam on fire as she slept on the New York City subway. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
The man traveled to New York and is suspected of setting a woman on fire as she slept on a subway bench on December 22nd.
Surveillance camera images show a man allegedly setting a sleeping woman on fire in a Brooklyn subway on December 22, 2024. (New York City Police Department)
The victim was identified as Debrina Khawam, 57, of Toms River, New Jersey. She was so badly burned that it took more than a week to identify her body.
Sebastian Zapeta is arrested on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. Zapeta is charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting Debrina Khawam on fire as she slept on the New York City subway. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD lieutenant, said the surveillance footage of the attack was so distorted that he couldn't finish watching it.
Khawam was sitting alone, believed to be asleep, on the F train at the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn.
Woman burnt to death in horrific subway attack identified
Sebastian Zapeta is arrested on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in Brooklyn, New York. Zapeta is charged with murder and arson for allegedly setting Debrina Khawam on fire as she slept on the New York City subway. (Rashid Umar Abbasi, Fox News Digital)
“As the train entered the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters at a news conference. “The suspect used what appeared to be a lighter to ignite the victim's clothing, which completely engulfed him within seconds.”
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Sebastian Zapeta, charged with setting a woman on fire on a New York City subway train, appears in a New York courtroom on Tuesday, December 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
The man then got out of his car and went to a nearby waiting bench, where he sat and watched help arrive. Responding officers were already at the station and transit staff grabbed fire extinguishers. The suspect also appeared on body camera video, Tisch said.
The suspect was arrested and taken into custody at the next station after three teenagers on another subway train recognized him from a wanted poster and called 911.
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A police officer patrols the F train platform at Coney Island Stillwell Avenue Station on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024, in New York. (AP)
If convicted, Zapeta faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The NYPD released year-end crime statistics for 2024 on Monday, touting a decline in overall crime and an increase in arrests. However, murders on the subway have doubled compared to 2023.
Mr. Zapeta is scheduled to return to court on March 12.
Fox News' Greg Wehner and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
