Saturday, January 11, 2025

Here's the story behind the woman set on fire in the NYC subway

Fox 5, NY   

Kawam grew up in Little Falls, New Jersey, where she was reportedly a popular student, cheerleader, and worked at a pancake house, according to friends who spoke with The New York Times.

"The Brief

  • Debrina Kawam, a former high school cheerleader who worked at Merk, was set on fire while sleeping on a subway train, raising questions about her life.
  • Sebastian Zapeta, 33, admitted to heavy drinking and expressed remorse, but claimed not to remember the attack.
  • A Guatemalan citizen, Zapeta was living in a Brooklyn shelter and working as a roofer when the incident occurred.

"NEW YORK - A woman set on fire inside a New York City subway has raised questions about how a former cheerleader and Merck employee, who fell into homelessness, became the victim of an attack allegedly by a deported migrant.

" 'It is difficult to fathom what could lead someone to commit the atrocious and horrific murder with which this defendant is charged," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement Tuesday. 

"Police say 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, a resident of Toms River, New Jersey, was sleeping on the train when Sebastian Zapeta, the man accused, set her on fire and watched her burn.".  . . .

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