Man accused of killing a woman on NYC subway by setting her on fire pleads not guilty to murder
CNN
The man accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire on a New York City subway car last month pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday and was ordered held without bail.
The man accused of killing a woman by setting her on fire on a New York City subway car last month pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday and was ordered held without bail. Sebastian Zapeta-Calil, a 33-year-old undocumented migrant from Guatemala, was previously indicted on charges of first- and second-degree murder and arson in the killing. CNN has reached out to his lawyer for comment. Police say Zapeta-Calil calmly walked up to 57-year-old Debrina Kawam on the morning of December 22, as she was sleeping on an F train approaching the Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn and used a lighter to ignite her clothes and the blanket that was wrapped around her. Kawam, who authorities say resided in New Jersey after a stint in New York’s shelter system, died by homicide caused by thermal injuries and smoke inhalation, according to a complaint filed in Brooklyn Criminal Court. The attack has stoked fears among New Yorkers about safety on subways and in the city at large, after several high-profile, violent incidents in recent years. During an initial court appearance in December, Zapeta-Calil claimed to have no knowledge of the incident, noting his alcohol consumption. Zapeta-Calil did identify himself in photos related to the attack, according to Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg.
National Guard troops deployed to Washington, DC, can remain there for now, after a federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily froze a judge’s ruling that would have soon required them to leave the city’s streets.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s bad week just got worse. That’s after the long-awaited release Thursday of an inspector general’s report on his sharing of highly sensitive military attack plans on the unclassified app Signal earlier this year.
President Donald Trump has hired a new architect for the White House ballroom amid disputes between the president and his architect originally contracted to complete the project, several sources have told CNN.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.
If nothing else, the controversy over the Trump administration’s second strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean has surfaced a long-overdue debate about its already legally dubious first strikes.
Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.
Authorities in Colombia are dealing with increasingly sophisticated criminals, who use advanced tech to produce and conceal the drugs they hope to export around the world. But police and the military are fighting back, using AI to flag suspicious passengers, cargo and mail - alongside more conventional air and sea patrols. CNN’s Isa Soares gets an inside look at Bogotá’s war on drugs.
Young Americans are “a generation under profound strain” with little confidence in institutions and widespread economic concerns, according to a Harvard Institute of Politics survey of adults younger than 30 released Thursday.
As lawmakers demand answers over reports that the US military carried out a follow-up strike that killed survivors during an attacked on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a career Navy SEAL who has spent most of his 30 years of military experience in special operations will be responsible for providing them.
The murder trial of Brian Walshe, who is accused of killing and dismembering his wife in 2023 continues. Follow for live updates.
The FBI arrested a person Thursday who investigators believe planted pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters the night before the 2021 US Capitol riot.
Lawyers for the New York attorney general’s office are expected to appear in federal court in Albany on Thursday to try to disqualify a US attorney from investigating the state’s civil case against President Donald Trump.
A new poll shows more than 70% of Republicans with Obamacare coverage don’t want their enhanced premium subsidies to expire.