OAN Staff James Meyers
9:53 AM – Friday, December 27, 2024
The Guatemalan illegal migrant accused of torching and lighting a sleeping woman on fire on a Brooklyn subway train was officially indicted in court for murder and arson on Friday morning.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, the undocumented migrant from Guatemala, waived his appearance in court after being indicted on first and second degree murder, as well as one count of arson, for the horrifying Sunday murder aboard the F train.
The first-degree murder charges carry the possibility of life without parole.
The accused killer reportedly walked up to the sleeping woman, who is believed to have been homeless but has yet to be identified, and suddenly ignited her clothes with a lighter. Videos on social media platforms showed the accused killer fanning the flames as it engulfed her, according to officials.
It is also unclear if he poured any flammable liquid on her. Authorities noted that she may have had alcohol already spilled on her clothes from earlier, which would have helped ignite the flames.
He then ran off from the subway and sat on a platform bench. A responding officer captured his departure on a body camera, and his image was later posted on a flier to the public. After a few hours, three high schoolers reportedly saw him on the subway, called 911 to report him, and he was arrested.
Zapeta-Calil will be formally arraigned at the state’s Supreme Court on January 7th, where the entire indictment will be unsealed.
The accused murderer is described as a heavy drinker by his homeless shelter friends, he also told police that he was drunk on the morning of the incident and allegedly doesn’t remember what happened.
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