The woman who died in a New York City subway fire earlier this month has been identified as Debrina Kawam, 57, of Toms River, New Jersey, police said Tuesday.
Kawam was asleep on a stopped F train at the Stillwell Avenue station on December 22 in Brooklyn, just before 7:30 a.m. when a man set it on fire and fled, according to the New York Police Department.
Police did not share any additional information about the victim. The initial statement from the NYPD said he was 61 years old, but the age was corrected in a later statement.
A vigil was held in his honor on Thursday.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, a Guatemalan national, was arrested in connection with Kawam’s murder on the same day as the incident after it was captured on police body camera footage. Subway passengers called 911 when they saw him hours later and officers detained him.
He was indicted on four counts of murder and one count of arson on Friday, according to prosecutors. According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, a grand jury indictment on one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson was announced in court.
The first-degree murder charge carries the possibility of life in prison without parole. Zapeta-Calil appeared in Brooklyn court on Tuesday and was taken back into custody.
The Guatemalan citizen is in the United States illegally and was previously deported, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
This is a development history. Please check back for updates.
