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.

NEW YORK (AP) — A man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to burning a sleeping woman to death inside a New York City subway train. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arraigned on murder and arson charges in Brooklyn court in connection with the killing of Debrina Kawam, 57.

Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was indicted last month on four counts of murder and one count of arson in the Dec. 22 death of 57-year-old Debrina Kawam. CBS News New York's Natalie Duddridge reports.

A grand jury indicted Sebastian Zapeta on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and arson in the first degree.

The deadly fire on the F train was one of several high-profile acts of violence in New York City's subway system at the end of last year, even as transit crime dropped overall in 2024. The NYPD on Monday pledged to send 200 more officers into the subway, with a focus on train cars and platforms.

The man accused of killing of a woman by setting her on fire on a New York City subway car last month pleaded not guilty to murder charges Tuesday. Sebastian Zapeta, a 33-year-old undocumented migrant from Guatemala, set 57-year-old Debrina Kawam on fire as she was asleep in the subway car in Brooklyn on Dec. 22, said authorities.

Sebastian Zapeta, the man accused of setting a woman on fire on the NYC subway, is due in court in the death of Debrina Kawam.

Prosecutors say the man lit a New Jersey native on fire on a stopped F train at Brooklyn’s Coney Island station in late December.