Who was Debrina Kawam? Police badge burns in New York subway
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Who was Debrina Kawam? Police badge burns in New York subway

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

Topline

The New York Police Department on Tuesday released information about the woman who died in a subway car in December after it was reportedly set on fire, further debunking false information and political narratives circulating online about the victims were spread.

Important facts

Law enforcement officials say that on Dec. 22, a man set fire to a sleeping woman, now identified as Debrina Kawam, in a stopped subway car, leading to Kawam’s death and the subsequent arrest and charges of the undocumented immigrant , Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, has been charged with murder and arson.

Little was reported about the burned victim, although several reports referred to her as a homeless woman, until police officials and Mayor Eric Adams confirmed Tuesday that the victim was 57-year-old Kawam, a resident of Toms Township River in New Jersey. the Associated Press reported.

The New York Times reported that videos from subway cameras as well as fingerprint and DNA technology were used to identify Kawam.

Mayor Eric Adams called Kawam’s death a “horrific incident” in a news conference Tuesday, saying she spent “a short time in our homeless shelter system” and that nothing else was known about her other than those few details.

Police had previously said that the alleged victim and Zapeta-Calil did not know each other and that it was difficult to determine Kawam’s identity. On December 26, an unnamed spokesman told Reuters that the victim’s identity was “still open.”

Who was Amelia Carter, the name spread as a victim?

Shortly after news of the horrific death broke, images and posts spread online, giving the victim’s false identity as Amelia Carter and spreading misinformation about her background. Some of the photos used to promote this fake victim were created using artificial intelligence, Reuters reported. Other posts incorrectly identified her as a University of Pennsylvania student. The real Carter, who was misidentified, said in a December 24 Bluesky post that the photos abused her image and that she “condemns white supremacy in all its forms.”

Important background

The suspect, 33-year-old Zapeta, is an immigrant from Guatemala who was deported back in 2018 and later returned to the United States illegally. The New York Times reports that he lived in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn. On Dec. 23, Zapeta was charged with first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and arson. Prosecutors say the victim was sleeping on an F train that was pulling into a Coney Island station around 7:30 a.m. when Zapeta, who was sitting next to her, walked up to her and set her on fire. Prosecutors also said Zapeta claimed he drank excessively and had no memory of the event. A video reported by several media outlets shows Zapeta getting off the train and later sitting on a bench nearby, watching, before walking towards them and “fanning” the flames. Students later identified him from photos and alerted the police. Zapeta has not yet entered a plea and was absent from a court hearing Friday. He is in jail and is expected to appear in court when his charges are dropped in January.

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