Author: Rich McKay
(Reuters) – A man accused of killing a woman who was sleeping in a New York subway car by setting her on fire was indicted by a grand jury on Friday on murder and arson charges, prosecutors said.
Defendant Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was not present at the brief hearing in Brooklyn court, the district attorney’s office said.
Zepat’s court-appointed lawyer did not immediately respond to a Reuters email seeking comment.
A grand jury indicted him on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez told the media. Earlier this week, he was charged in a criminal complaint in Brooklyn Criminal Court with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and first-degree arson.
“My office is very confident in the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his heinous actions,” Gonzalez told reporters. He described the attack as a “malicious act” against a “sleeping and vulnerable woman”.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the suspect is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the country illegally and that they will eventually prosecute him. He was living in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, police said.
On Sunday, Zapeta used a lighter to set fire to the clothes of a woman who appeared to be sleeping on the F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station, according to a police report.
The suspect then used his shirt to fan the flames until the woman was engulfed in flames, according to the police complaint.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene after the fire was extinguished. The city medical examiner said the cause of death was smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. The police did not immediately know the identity of the woman, according to the complaint.
Zapeta faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, Gonzalez said. Zapeta will be taken into custody on January 7, the district attorney’s office announced.
