Man accused of burning New York woman to death fanned flames with shirt, prosecutors say

The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally, was not required to enter a plea and did not speak at the hearing in Brooklyn criminal court.

Zapeta, wearing a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt, will remain jailed at the city’s Rikers Island complex and is due back in court on Friday. His lawyer did not ask for bail.

Zapeta is charged with two counts of murder, accusing him of intentionally killing the woman and killing her while committing arson. He is also charged with one count of arson. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “gruesome and senseless act of violence” and said it would be “met with the most serious consequences”.

The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on an F train that was stopped at the Coney Island station. The victim’s identification is still pending.