Man charged with murder for ‘randomly’ burning female commuter to death on subway platform

‘My sister lived a life of service to others and cared for many people’

A 33-year-old man was charged with murder after a woman he set on fire on board a bus at a Toronto subway station succumbed to her injuries.

The woman, identified as Nyima Dolma, 28, was set ablaze in a “random attack” on 17 June on board a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) bus at Kipling Station around 12.30pm local time.

Accused Tenzin Norbu was arrested from a nearby area shortly after the attack.

First responders managed to put out the fire, but Dolma was admitted to a hospital with grievous injuries. She was pronounced dead by the hospital on 5 July.

Local media reports quoted police as saying that the accused likely poured a flammable liquid on the woman and then set her ablaze.

Following the woman’s death, the charges against the accused were upgraded from attempted murder and assault with a weapon to first-degree murder, police said on Monday.

According to authorities, there was no “relationship between the victim and her attacker”.

“It is cause for concern, especially as we’ve stated this is a random attack,” police spokesperson Alex Li had said following the attack.

Dawa Tsamchoe, the victim’s sister, on 6 July updated a GoFundMe page setup for Dolma to state that donations sent for her would be used to cover funeral expenses.

“My sister lived a life of service to others and cared for many people,” Ms Tsamchoe said in a statement.