A woman who died after being set on fire on the New York City subway earlier this month was identified as Debrina Kawam, 57, of Toms River, New Jersey, the New York medical examiner’s office said on Tuesday.
Kawam was identified through fingerprint analysis and her death from thermal and inhalation injuries was ruled a homicide, said Julie Bolcer, a spokeswoman for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Kawam “had a brief stint in our homeless shelter system,” without giving further details.
Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old Guatemalan citizen, was charged with murder and arson after allegedly lighting Kawam on fire and watching her burn to death at a subway station.
Zapeta was arrested about six hours after police say he used a lighter to ignite the clothes of Kawam who appeared to be dozing on a stationary F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue stop in Brooklyn.
The suspect entered the U.S. without authorization in 2018 and was deported to Guatemala a few days later. It was unclear when he unlawfully re-entered, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
There appeared to have been no prior interaction between the assailant, a Brooklyn man, and Kawam, police have said.
The Department of Homeland Security statement said it would pursue removal proceedings again whenever Zapeta is released from New York custody, which could include a lengthy prison sentence if he is convicted.
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