The Misdeeds of a Heavy Drinker: Guatemalan Migrant Allegedly Burns Sleeping Straphanger to Death on Brooklyn Subway Train
Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old Guatemalan migrant, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree arson for allegedly setting a sleeping straphanger on fire on a Brooklyn subway train. Witnesses at a homeless shelter where he was living described Zapeta-Calil as a heavy drinker who chain-smoked K2, a synthetic drug.
Raymond Robinson, a roommate at the Samaritan Village Forbell men’s shelter, recounted that Zapeta-Calil would often drink and smoke K2, which would cause him to “bug out” and become erratic. Robinson said that when Zapeta-Calil wasn’t high, he was a friendly and gentle person who would help others with their needs.
Another roommate, Juan Medrano, described Zapeta-Calil as being in his own world and “kind of awkward.” Zapeta-Calil was unemployed and would often return to the shelter after being out drinking, according to Medrano. While he was never in trouble at the shelter, his drug use and drinking were a concern for many residents.
According to police, Zapeta-Calil told them that he was so drunk on the day of the alleged crime that he didn’t remember what happened. Surveillance footage showed him fanning the flames and sitting calmly on a bench while the victim burned to death inside the train. He was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Tuesday.