NYC subway attack: Prosecutors seek life without parole for murder suspect who set woman on fire

Prosecutors are seeking the maximum penalty of life without parole for the man accused of setting a woman on fire on a New York City subway train and killing her on Dec. 22. The suspect, 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta, was charged with first-degree arson, first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder in an initial court appearance on Tuesday. Authorities say the suspect set the victim alight with a lighter while she was sleeping on a stationary F train at Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station. Before exiting the train and watching the woman burn from a nearby bench, the homeless assailant fanned the fire with a shirt until the victim was engulfed in flames. "This was a malicious deed. A sleeping, vulnerable woman on our subway system. This act surprised many New Yorkers as they were getting ready to celebrate the holidays,” Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said on Friday. The victim, who investigators are still working to identify, was pronounced dead at the scene. New York City’s medical examiner said her cause of death was smoke inhalation and thermal injuries. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca/news/10934854/nyc-subway-fire-suspect-formally-indicted-murder-charges/ Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on X HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #NewYorkCity #Crime #Subway