*Guatemalan citizen Sebastian Zapeta-Calil has been indicted on multiple charges, including murder and arson, in connection with the fatal subway attack on a woman in New York City.
Authorities say he set the woman on fire while she was asleep on a stationary F train at the Stillwell Avenue Subway Station on December 22. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old migrant who snuck back into the US after being deported in 2018, faces one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder, and one count of first-degree arson. He will be arraigned on January 7, NBC News reports.
The illegal immigrant, who was living in shelters in NYC, was arrested by the NYPD at a Manhattan subway station after carrying out the horrific killing Sunday morning. He told cops he was too drunk to remember setting the woman ablaze, the aftermath of which was captured on bystander video. According to his shelter roommate, Zapeta-Calil “bugged out” after smoking K2 and drinking before the arson attack.
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A vigil was held Thursday for the victim, who has not yet been identified.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Friday that Zapeta-Calil was indicted by a grand jury and the indictment will be unsealed in court early next month.
“The depravity of this horrific crime is beyond comprehension, and my office is committed to bringing the perpetrator to justice,” Gonzalez said in a statement Monday.
“This gruesome and senseless act of violence against a vulnerable woman will be met with the most serious consequences,” Gonzalez said. “Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe on our subways and we will do everything in our power to ensure accountability in this case.”
Federal immigration officials reported that Zapeta-Calil was apprehended in Arizona in June 2018 after crossing the US border illegally and was deported six days later. However, he re-entered the country and was living in various city-run shelters across Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to place a detainer on Zapeta-Calil pending deportation proceedings, which will occur after any prison sentence if he is convicted.
The first-degree murder charge carries the possibility of life without parole.
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