A woman who was set ablaze while she was inside a New York Subway car has been identified. Her name was revealed to be Debrina Kawam, and she was said to be 61 years old.
Recall that Kawam, of Toms River, New Jersey, was set on fire in a subway car in New York on 22 December, an incident which horrified New Yorkers and intensified a debate over city safety.
The New York Police Department disclosed the victim’s identity nine days after the tragic incident. Earlier, investigators had stated that they were relying on forensic evidence and video surveillance to confirm her identity.
The New York City Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Tuesday that Debrina Kawam had a “brief stint in our homeless shelter system” and confirmed that authorities had reached out to her next of kin. However, he did not specify the timeline of her stay in the shelter system.
Sebastián Zapeta, the man who is accused of setting Debrina Kawam on fire, was arrested and detained just hours after police released images of the suspect linked to her death. He has since been charged with murder and arson and is scheduled to appear in court next week.
According to prosecutors, Zapeta, a Guatemalan immigrant, allegedly set fire to Kawam, who was believed to be homeless, as she slept inside a New York Subway train car at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors stated that Zapeta used a lighter to ignite the fire and then fanned the flames with his shirt. He reportedly had no prior connection to the victim. Zapeta now faces charges including first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and first-degree arson.
While announcing the charges last week, Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney, said: “These are significant counts. 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 this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds.”
Our findings how that the murder suspect, Zapeta is also facing calls from Adams for additional federal charges to be brought.
In a statement last week, the mayor’s office said: “Lighting another human being on fire and watching them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated.”
The suspect was apprehended just hours after he carried out the horrific attack. According to the police, he remained at the scene as Kawam succumbed to her injuries. He was later arrested wearing the same clothes and found in possession of a lighter.
The director of the Coalition for the Homeless, Dave Giffen, explained that the difficulty that investigators had in identifying Kawam added “another level to a tragedy.”
Speaking with The New York Times, Giffen stated that the incident highlighted a broader issue of limited interaction and empathy toward the city’s homeless population.
