NEW YORK – A grand jury has indicted the accused man setting a woman on fire aboard a Brooklyn subway trainBrooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez announced Friday.
Investigators say the unidentified victim was sleeping when 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta he used a lighter to set her clothes on fire. According to the criminal complaint, Zapeta used a shirt to fan the flames.
Zapeta waived his court appearance on Friday and will be arraigned on January 7, when the charges will be dismissed. He will face four counts of murder and one count of arson, Gonzalez announced.
“Today we take our first significant step in seeking justice in this case, with the grand jury indicting Sebastian Zapeta on four counts of murder. First-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and first-degree arson. These are significant counts. First-degree murder carries the possibility of life without parole in this case and our ability to hold Zapeta accountable for his dastardly deeds,” Gonzalez said.
Mayor Eric Adams’ office is pushing for federal charges to be added against Zapeta.
“To set another human being on fire and watch them burn alive reflects a level of evil that cannot be tolerated,” Adams’ office said in a statement.
Gonzalez appeared to respond that Friday.
“We strongly believe that this case belongs in state court because the charges here are more important than what is currently in federal court, but we have a very strong working relationship with our federal partners and of course we will always do what is best interest of the people of the state of New York and the city of Brooklyn, because we want to make sure that he is fully accountable,” Gonzalez said.
Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who, according to federal officials, entered the US illegally, was deported and then returned to the US illegally.
Unidentified victim honored at vigil
Authorities have not yet identified the woman who died.
Thursday, community leaders gathered on the F train platform at Stillwell Station in Coney Island to pray for her. They called his death a systemic failure.
“His life mattered. Thank God they caught the person who did this. But it’s not just the person’s fault. It’s the system’s fault. The system failed,” said the Rev. Kevin McCall. “Homeless lives matter. She was burned so badly the police couldn’t even identify who she was.”