NY - Female passenger died after being set on fire by man on subway - NYC - December 22, 2024

[KooshBall]

I'm impressed with the speed she was identified. Rip Debrina

 

[sunspun]

The "secret ambition" says a lot, although that isn't unusual for teenagers to say this. She's also quite a bit older than initially suspected.

Now, to go back and find out more.

I graduated high school the year after she did, and I can definitely see any of my friends writing something like this in their yearbook. We all were excessive partyers/drinkers already by the time we graduated. Most of us had settled down to normal social drinking in moderation within the next decade... some of us, including me! took awhile longer to turn it down, and when I did, I quit altogether, not just moderating it. My best friend from when I was about 18 to 25 never did figure it out and died of alcohol poisoning at age 44. I wish she and Debbie K both had gotten the help they needed to end their dependence on alcohol before it was too late.

 

[shetalksinstereo]

I graduated high school the year after she did, and I can definitely see any of my friends writing something like this in their yearbook. We all were excessive partyers/drinkers already by the time we graduated. Most of us had settled down to normal social drinking in moderation within the next decade... some of us, including me! took awhile longer to turn it down, and when I did, I quit altogether, not just moderating it. My best friend from when I was about 18 to 25 never did figure it out and died of alcohol poisoning at age 44. I wish she and Debbie K both had gotten the help they needed to end their dependence on alcohol before it was too late.

I have so many peers who have passed or will be passing of liver failure as a result of alcohol. Good for you that you were able to quit! Drinking culture was pretty prevalent in the youth of the 80s generation, I can vouch for that. I started tapering my drinking when I got a big girl job and then drank socially on a pretty limited basis. For the past 12 years, I have had a sporadic drink or two once or twice a year and I'm ok with that. I am always amazed at the pushback I still get from certain people about it. It just no longer interests me or serves me.

That all said, I feel terrible about Debrina. She didn't deserve to be callously tortured and ultimately killed by a stranger.

 

[ilovewings]

I have so many peers who have passed or will be passing of liver failure as a result of alcohol. Good for you that you were able to quit! Drinking culture was pretty prevalent in the youth of the 80s generation, I can vouch for that. I started tapering my drinking when I got a big girl job and then drank socially on a pretty limited basis. For the past 12 years, I have had a sporadic drink or two once or twice a year and I'm ok with that. I am always amazed at the pushback I still get from certain people about it. It just no longer interests me or serves me.

That all said, I feel terrible about Debrina. She didn't deserve to be callously tortured and ultimately killed by a stranger.

An evil stranger!!!!!!

 

[airportwoman]

Her age range was given from 30 to 60 and she was 57. So she was not older than initially suspected.

I had initially heard 20s. Sorry.

 

[maamager]

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Debra Ann

Clipping found in The News published in Paterson, New Jersey on 5/13/1967. Debra Ann

www.newspapers.com

I'm nearly 56, so she was almost an exact contemporary. RIP.

 

[jjenny]

I had initially heard 20s. Sorry.

There was a fake name circulated on social media of the victim supposedly being in her twenties, but it was a fake victim.

 

[jjenny]

"Ms. Kawam, 57, grew up in a small white house on a street dotted with modest single-family homes. Her father worked on the assembly line at the General Motors plant in Linden. Her mother worked in a bakery, said Malcolm Fraser, Susan’s husband and a childhood friend of Ms. Kawam. She had an older brother and sister."

Subway Victim’s Brutal End Stuns Friends From Her Happy Past

Debbie Kawam, as she was known in high school, was a cheerleader and a sunny presence. As the decades went on, she fell into an abyss.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

View attachment 555595

Without disrespect to her memory, her secret ambition was to party forever, but at age 55, I, for one, don't have the energy for much partying and I suspect I'm not unusual there.

 

[Mellowmelly]

"Ms. Kawam, 57, grew up in a small white house on a street dotted with modest single-family homes. Her father worked on the assembly line at the General Motors plant in Linden. Her mother worked in a bakery, said Malcolm Fraser, Susan’s husband and a childhood friend of Ms. Kawam. She had an older brother and sister."

Subway Victim’s Brutal End Stuns Friends From Her Happy Past

Debbie Kawam, as she was known in high school, was a cheerleader and a sunny presence. As the decades went on, she fell into an abyss.

www.nytimes.com

This is so sad to read. She had such a promising future ahead of her. I recently lost a friend to alcohol, although not directly responsible for her passing, it was the situations it put her in. I watched alcohol destroy her life and felt helpless to do anything. I can imagine this is similar to how Debrina's loved ones felt. So sad.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

This is so sad to read. She had such a promising future ahead of her. I recently lost a friend to alcohol, although not directly responsible for her passing, it was the situations it put her in. I watched alcohol destroy her life and felt helpless to do anything. I can imagine this is similar to how Debrina's loved ones felt. So sad.

It's always a chicken-or-egg question. Did her problem with alcohol get so out of control that she lost everything or did she lose everything, then her alcohol use got out of control because it was an escape/self-medication scenario? Sounds like she was part of the 2008 housing crash like so many others.

Regardless, rest in peace, Debrina. I'm so sorry for the cruelty in the world.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, will appear in Brooklyn court in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57.

Prosecutors say Zapeta lit the New Jersey native on fire on a stopped F train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station on Dec. 22. Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt before sitting on a platform bench and watching as Kawam burned, they allege.

Prosecutors say Zapeta confirmed to police he was the man in surveillance photos and videos of the fire but said he drinks a lot of alcohol and did not recall what happened.

Zapeta, a Guatemalan citizen who authorities say entered the country illegally after being deported in 2018, faces multiple counts of murder as well as an arson charge. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole.

Man to be arraigned in woman's subway fire death

The man accused of burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train is set to be arraigned Tuesday on murder and arson charges. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, will appear in Brooklyn court in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57. Prosecutors say Zapeta lit the New Jersey...

www.nbcnewyork.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Prosecutors say Zapeta confirmed to police he was the man in surveillance photos and videos of the fire but said he drinks a lot of alcohol and did not recall what happened.

Zapeta, a Guatemalan citizen who authorities say entered the country illegally after being deported in 2018, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole on the murder charge.

The court hearing lasted under five minutes. Zapeta stood up, his eyes facing the floor, as a Spanish interpreter whispered into his ear. His next court date is set for March 12.

Man pleads not guilty to burning woman to death on a New York City subway train

A man has pleaded not guilty to burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train

www.wpxi.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The victim's brother appeared in court and met with local clergy to discuss plans for an upcoming memorial service.

Kawam, known to her classmates as "Debbie," grew up in Little Falls, New Jersey. She went to Montclair State University to study business and marketing and worked for a time at Merck. She filed for bankruptcy in 2008.

Family and friends are expected to gather to remember Kawam on Jan. 12 for a memorial service at First Baptist Church in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, according to clergy members who attended Zspres-Calil's arraignment.

Suspect in New York City subway burning death pleads not guilty to murder charge

The man charged with burning a woman to death on a New York City subway train pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder and arson charges.

www.goodmorningamerica.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on Tuesday called the homicide an “atrocious and horrific” act, and said his prosecutors are “determined to exact the most severe punishment for this heinous and inhumane act.”

“Ms. Kawam and her loved ones deserve a measure of justice and New Yorkers deserve to feel safe in the subways, Gonzalez added.

Brooklyn subway arson suspect indicted for murder

Brooklyn subway arson suspect indicted for murder. Man charged with setting fire that killed train operator and injured passengers in early-morning incident.

www.amny.com

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[Mellowmelly]

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez on Tuesday called the homicide an “atrocious and horrific” act, and said his prosecutors are “determined to exact the most severe punishment for this heinous and inhumane act.”

“Ms. Kawam and her loved ones deserve a measure of justice and New Yorkers deserve to feel safe in the subways, Gonzalez added.

Brooklyn subway arson suspect indicted for murder

Brooklyn subway arson suspect indicted for murder. Man charged with setting fire that killed train operator and injured passengers in early-morning incident.

www.amny.com

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I'm glad they're seeking the harshest punishment, stating he remembers nothing is a cop out. Being blind drunk doesn't mean diminished responsibility, unless the defendent has a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness that meant he lacked capacity at tge time of the murder

 

[Charlot123]

I'm glad they're seeking the harshest punishment, stating he remembers nothing is a cop out. Being blind drunk doesn't mean diminished responsibility, unless the defendent has a diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness that meant he lacked capacity at tge time of the murder

He was not blind drunk. Blind drunk people are quietly lying in the corner and even raising a head requires a lot of planning. He walked to the subway, he had a ticket, he took a train, he got in a car with only one person. He probably disinhibited by the combo of K-2 and alcohol, but his actions required some planning.

 

[nao]

Moo..black out drunk is a thing...a reality. 40 years ago fella showed up covered in blood, he was a bad drunk. We just figured he got in a fight.. but no..he had knifed someone and cut off their ear. He did go up for murder but..no..he did not remember that..or many things..he was in his early 20's....but it was not a surprise. He was messed up from his own upbringing.

 

[Mellowmelly]

He was not blind drunk. Blind drunk people are quietly lying in the corner and even raising a head requires a lot of planning. He walked to the subway, he had a ticket, he took a train, he got in a car with only one person. He probably disinhibited by the combo of K-2 and alcohol, but his actions required some planning.

Exactly, he knew what he was doing