NYC subway fire suspect Sebastian Zapeta-Calil’s eerie menacing glare as he pleads not guilty to ‘burning woman alive’
THE man accused of lighting a sleeping woman on fire on the subway and watching her burn to death has pleaded not guilty.
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, 33, gave a chilling stare as he left the courthouse on Tuesday after being arraigned on four counts of murder and one count of arson.
Zapeta-Calil, 33, was ordered to be held without bail on Tuesday.
Cops say Zapeta-Calil set fire to a woman inside a subway train on the morning of December 22, using a lighter to ignite her clothes and a blanket she was wearing as she slept.
The attack left the woman so badly disfigured that it took days for officials to identify the woman as 57-year-old Debrina Kawam.
Kawam, a New Jersey resident who spent time in New York City's homeless shelters, died of smoke inhalation and thermal injuries, the medical examiner's office said.
Sickening footage appeared to show Zapeta-Calil fanning the woman's flames before he sat on a bench on the subway platform in Brooklyn to watch the horrific scene.
Zapeta-Calil was arrested on a jam-packed subway car hours later after three high school students recognized the suspect from pictures released by the police.
After he was in handcuffs, Zapeta-Calil confirmed to cops that he was the man in surveillance footage and videos of the fire.
However, he said he couldn't remember what happened because he had been drinking heavily.
Tuesday's court appearance lasted less than five minutes. Zapeta-Calil is set to appear in court again on March 12.
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