A Guatemalan refugee who was accused of viciously setting a girl on fireplace aboard a metro train was accused of being so drunk that he was unable to recognize his own actions when he was shown video of the crime in a harrowing case that has shocked Brooklyn, according to previously released court records.
Julian Zapeta-Calil, 33, reportedly had no recollection of the December 22 invasion on 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, a New Jersey girl, who was mortally burned while sleeping on the F coach. According to transcripts from his stationhouse interview, the accused murderer was horrified when shown footage of the incident, reported the New York Post.
Accused killer’s shocking reaction to video footage
” Oh damn, that’s me”! Zapeta-Calil supposedly exclaimed when the movie played. ” No, the truth is I don’t realize. Oh my compassion”!
The Guatemalan nationwide, who appeared clearly frightened, wiped his eyes and lowered his head as he processed the images. His emotion — a combination of distress, astonishment, and obvious shame — was captured in the newly unsealed meeting, which took place hours after the cold crime.
The startling tragedy occurred on December 22. Authorities say Zapeta-Calil, greatly intoxicated, sat next to Kawam, who was sleeping on the station at the Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island place. Without any prior notice, he lit a lighter and lit her clothes on fire before fanning the flames and obediently watching her shed. According to authorities, the accused watched intently while the lady was left to suffer horror.
Alcohol-induced outages: Accused blames drinking for remembrance lost of murder
In a disturbing bend, Zapeta-Calil told police that his black-out having was the cause of his behavior, admitting to a lengthy history of binge eating. ” Often when I drink and erase the memory, I don’t know, right”? he reportedly told soldiers, referring to his repeated alcohol-fueled lapses in storage.
” I drink in the mornings. When I wake away, I’m already at the house, now sleeping. Or maybe, I wake away, and I’m already at the station place”, Zapeta-Calil explained during his interview. ” I was crazy. I don’t recall how I got on the F station. When I reacted, I was already on it”.
Zapeta-Calil, who entered the United States improperly five years ago, was no man to trouble with the law. He was first denied entry to the US-Mexico borders in 2018, according to authorities, but he later received a rejection. He escaped the land and settled with his family before making his way into the sanctuary system in New York. His attorney confirmed in courtroom that he had lived as an illegal immigrant, worked as a roofer, and often had big drinking.
According to his remarks, the night before the brutal attack, he had been drinking heavily in a Queens table. He continued to drink by himself before taking the train after consuming beer and cognac. ” When I woke up, I was already on the F train”, he said.
Later that morning, around 8 or 9 am, Zapeta-Calil reportedly got off at the Coney Island place, approached the sleeping Kawam, and set her on fireplace. He was detained moments after near Columbus Circle, his drunken state still present.
In judge: Accused asks not guilty, calls clinical care
In court on Tuesday, Zapeta-Calil, wearing an orange suit and coat, pleaded not guilty to charges of crime and fire. His defence lawyer requested that he be kept under medical care while he was being held without bail. ” I am quite sorry”, Zapeta-Calil officially told police. ” I didn’t mean to. But I definitely don’t understand. I don’t know what happened, but I’m very sorry for that person”.
While the case has sparked common outcry, it has also raised troubling issues about the effects of neglected drinking and the possible consequences of a program that failed to stop his repeated acts. As the group struggles with the brutal truth of the offense and the chilling disconnect between the accused’s intoxicated state and his brutal deeds as Zapeta-Calil’s judge case progresses.
As lawyers continue to build their circumstance against him, Zapeta-Calil is scheduled to return to court in March. The city is currently holding its breath as a result of a situation that has shocked and perplexed the people.
