Illegal Migrant Accused Of Burning Sleeping Woman Alive Pleads Not Guilty

An illegal migrant accused of burning a woman alive while she slept on a New York City subway car pleaded not guilty during an arraignment hearing on Tuesday.

Sebastian Zapeta, a previously-deported 33-year-old  Guatemalan living unlawfully in the United States, entered his not guilty plea after appearing before a Brooklyn courtroom, according to The Associated Press. He is charged with multiple counts of murder and one count of arson for the death of 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, a homeless New Jersey woman who burned alive while sleeping on the F-train on the morning of Dec. 21.

Zapeta’s plea is the latest development in what local authorities have described as “one of the most depraved crimes” a human being could commit.

New York investigators believe Kawam was asleep on the train when Zapeta approached her and used a match to light her clothes on fire. He then allegedly fanned the flames intentionally by waving a shirt over her, and then sat on a nearby bench and watched her succumb to her injuries.

“As the train pulled into the station, the suspect calmly walked up to the victim who was in a seated position at the end of the subway car,” New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch stated during a press conference