Man accused of burning woman to death on subway pleads not guilty

Sebastian Zapeta on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to burning a woman on a subway in Brooklyn, the Associated Press reported. Authorities arrested Zapeta last month and indicted him on multiple murder charges and one count of arson. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said last month he was confident his office could hold Zapeta accountable for his actions.

Who was the woman? The New York Police Department last month confirmed to WORLD that the woman who Zapeta allegedly burned to death was 61-year-old Debrina Kawam, of New Jersey. Authorities initially struggled to identify her and had to resort to DNA evidence and advanced fingerprinting techniques to confirm who she was.