New York City prosecutors have indicted a man living illegally in the country for the death of a woman who was burned alive while riding on the subway.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year old Guatemalan national who was previously deported from the United States before unlawfully returning, has been indicted on first and second degree murder charges, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced on Friday. The gruesome details of the murder mark the latest high-profile alleged killing of a woman at the hands of an illegal migrant.
“These are significant counts,” Gonzalez said Friday, according to CNN. “Murder in the first degree carries the possibility of life without parole.”
“It’s the most serious statute in New York state law and my office is very confident about the evidence in the case and to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds,” the district attorney continued.
The NYC Office of the Medical Examiner determined the female victim — who has so far not been identified by authorities — died as a result of a homicide, attributing her death to thermal injuries and smoke inhalation.
Investigators believe the woman was sleeping on the F train in Brooklyn early Sunday when Zapeta walked up to her and used a match to light her clothes on fire, which quickly became fully engulfed in flames. He then allegedly remained on scene, sitting on a bench platform, to watch her die from 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 said during a press conference on the day of the incident. “The suspect used what we believe to be a lighter to ignite the victim’s clothing, which became fully engulfed in a matter of seconds.”
Police officers who were on patrol at an upper level of that train station went to investigate after they smelled and saw smoke, according to Tisch, who called the attack “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit” against another human being. Upon their arrival to the scene, police found the victim standing in the train car fully engulfed in fire, and made attempts to put the fire out as quickly as possible.
Zapeta was apprehended by the New York Police Department later that day after witnesses had spotted him, and he was caught with a lighter in his pocket. It was later revealed that, while the woman was on fire, Zapeta allegedly intentionally fanned the flames by waving a shirt over her.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that he is an illegal migrant who had already been deported from the country years prior.
“U.S. Border Patrol in Sonoita, Arizona, encountered Zapeta June 1, 2018, and served him with an order of expedited removal and Enforcement and Removal Operations removed Zapeta from the U.S. to Guatemala June 7, 2018,” ICE spokesperson Jeff Carter said in a statement provided to the DCNF. “Zapeta unlawfully reentered the United States on an unknown date and location.”
The attack appears to be a random act of violence. While identifying himself in photos related to the killing, the Guatemalan national said he drinks a lot of liquor and has no recollection of the incident.
Zapeta is due to be arraigned on January 7, according to CNN. He has also been charged with arson.
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