The woman was set on fire in a New York subway car on December 22, shocking New Yorkers and reigniting debates about city safety. Debrina Kawam.
The NYPD released the identity of the victim nine days after the fatal incident. Investigators have previously said they are using forensics and video surveillance to identify the victims.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday that Khavam had a “brief stay in our homeless shelter system” and that authorities had been in contact with her next of kin. He did not say when Khawam entered the homeless system.
The man accused of setting her on fire, Sebastián Zapeta, was detained hours after police released a photo of the suspect in the woman’s death. He has since been charged with murder and arson and is expected to appear in court next week.
Related: Woman dies after setting herself on fire in New York subway car, man arrested
Prosecutors say Zapeta, a Guatemala immigrant, set fire to Khawam, who was believed to be homeless, while she slept in a train car at the Stilwell Avenue Station in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
Prosecutors said he used a lighter to light the fire and then fanned it with his shirt. Zapeta, who did not appear to know the victim, faces one count of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and one count of first-degree arson.
“These are important numbers. First-degree murder carries a potential sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. It is the toughest statute in New York State law, and my office has no confidence in the evidence in this case and our ability to hold Zappetta accountable for his despicable actions.” Very confident,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in announcing the charges.
The murder suspect also faces calls from Adams for additional federal charges.
“Lighting another person on fire and watching them burn alive reflects an intolerable level of evil,” the mayor’s office said in a statement last week.
The suspect was arrested hours after the attack. Police said the suspect did not leave the scene when Khawam was burned to death. He was later arrested wearing the same clothes and was found with a lighter in his pocket.
Dave Giffen, director of the Coalition for the Homeless, said the difficulty investigators had in identifying Khawam “adds to the tragedy.”
Giffen told The New York Times that the incident highlighted a general lack of interaction or empathy among the city’s homeless population.
“We cannot forget our humanity as a city,” he told the publication. “No one knows who this woman is and it’s the saddest story I can imagine during the holidays.
