Guatemalan Set Subway Woman on Fire!
Washington, Dec 24 (EFE).-
The Guatemalan man accused of burning a woman alive in a New York City subwayGua train had his first appearance in court on Tuesday, where it was revealed that he admitted to the police that he had been drinking a lot and did not remember anything about the incident.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, faces charges of first- and second-degree murder, and first degree arson after allegedly setting the woman on fire on an F train in Brooklyn.
Zapeta set the victim, who was sleeping, on fire with a lighter and continued fanning the flames with a shirt, prosecutors said at the hearing, NBC television network reported.
The Guatemalan man allegedly told police that he drank a lot of liquor and doesn’t know what happened, the prosecutors added.
Witnesses said the man stared at the woman as the fire consumed her.
The victim, who remains unidentified, died from burns and smoke inhalation, according to the medical examiner.
Zapeta is believed not to have known the victim nor interacted with her.
The Guatemalan, an undocumented migrant, was deported from the US in 2018 and later returned to the country on an unknown date and is currently living in a shelter.
Zapeta will remain in custody without bail and must appear in court again on Friday.
Illegal immigration, especially from Latin America, was a central theme of the election campaign of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised that one of the first measures when he takes office in January would be to carry out large-scale deportations. EFE
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